Nightmare
by Maze Puppet
Summary: Allen awakens from a nightmare, crying out for a certain comrade... FemaleAllenXKanda. Rated M due to Language and Graphic Content... Finished. Sequel out.
1. Awaken

Nightmare

Attention: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would...winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Chapter One: Awaken

* * *

Allen woke up, her own hand muffling the scream that burst from her mouth. Tears streaking down her face, she gasped for air through her fingers. A sob escaped her lips as she pressed both hands together to cover her face. The name that pulsed in her mind was an unexpected one for her to show concern about, for he was nothing but an anti-social bundle of hate, but never-the-less, Allen leaned forward and whispered, "Kanda... Oh...Kanda..."

Her sleep had been disturbed by a nightmare that horrifically depicted a certain swordsman's death. Worry swept through her body irrationally, and she became terrified that that dream was real. That it went beyond her imagination. Eyes wide, Allen shot up from the bed, and, dressed only in a white, button-up shirt and her pants, she bolted from the room, headed for Komui's office. Half-way there, Allen slowed down, some bit of rationality coming to surface in her mind.

She couldn't barge into Komui's office. And she certainly couldn't publicly admit that she had been crying and worrying over Kanda; Yuu Kanda, the heartless bastard. And someone would eventually tell Kanda of her bout of insanity, and then the hell that she would suffer for showing more "unnecessary weakness". Swallowing, Allen pushed the worrying to the back of her mind and began a trudging walk back to her room. First order of the day, now that her reason had been restored, was to shower and properly dress. At that thought, she remembered that she was not "bound" in the necessary places and picked up her pace to her room. It would not be good if someone noticed that the already feminine Allen Walker had an excessive chest for being male. Never mind the fact that Allen just looked all around a mess.

The white-haired, female-in-disguise, exorcist made it safely back to her room, without running into anyone, or even really seeing that many people in the hallways. When Allen realized that there were too few people roaming, she checked her watch to discover that it was six o'clock in the morning. _Way_ too early for her, and most others, to be awake. Sighing, Allen opened to door to her room and collapsed on the floor with an overly-dramatic flourish. She was slightly ashamed of her presumptuous behavior, and was glad that she had not made it all the way to Komui's office.

After a few minutes of gathering her pride, Allen finally made it into the shower, washing her hair with an unscented shampoo, to her disappointment.

"Just once," she grumbled under the steamy water, "I would like to feel like a girl again...Girly shampoo, body lotion, painted toenails, the whole bit." A minute's thought later, she finished, "Okay, maybe not the painted toenails...I don't wanna be that girly." She turned the water off and began the long process of drying off and dressing.

By the time Allen had completely, flawlessly become Allen Walker the male, she could think clearly and rationally, but was still really worried. She had confidence that she could go down to Komui's office in the Science Department and ask, with completely normalcy, what exorcists had come in, what exorcists were still out, and if she had a mission.

Her stomach grumbled fiercely, interrupting her thoughts and reminding her of her situation as a Parasitic-type Innocence-wielder, which required her to eat obscene amounts of food.

Allen left her room and headed along the well-memorized path to the cafeteria. Jerry the cook was in the kitchen, whipping up massive amounts of food in order to feed the numerous finders and not-so numerous exorcists. Allen stood waiting for her turn to order her food, and when it came time to stand before the extremely happy chef, she immediately began listing her foods of choice. A full minute and a half later, Allen moved aside to await her food patiently. It had become almost a ritual for her since she had moved into the Black Order's head quarters to become an exorcist, one that occurred every morning, noon and night, though this morning, Allen was up considerably earlier than usual.

"Good morning, Moyashi-chaaan!" Lavi, the red-headed Bookman Junior cried gleefully as he entered the cafeteria, his one visible emerald eye beaming at Allen.

"Good morning, Lavi." Allen responded, waving a little with her Innocence-deformed arm. Jerry placed Allen's extensive order of food in front of the white-haired exorcist, who pulled it into her arms and carted it off to an empty table. Lavi ordered a simple few pieces of toast and juice, then joined Allen at the table she had chosen.

Lavi chattered happily about a book that he had read from the Dark Order's extensive library. Though Allen was barely paying attention, she picked up on that it was about ancient Grecian history. She sighed, chewing idly on the ball of sweetness sitting on the tip of a stick. She really favored the treat known as mitarashi dango, but she just didn't feel like eating. Worry was too strong in her mind, worry for that sour, rude, arrogant, foul-mouthed, violent, black-haired exorcist. Did she mention rude? Seriously! There had to be a really, really, exceptionally good reason for someone to be as much of an asshole as Kanda Yuu. Sighing again, Allen put down the now-empty stick on her plate, pushed the tray forward, and plopped her head on the table, on top of her folded arms. She was so immersed in her thoughts of concern that she didn't notice that Lavi had stopped talking.

"Allen? Allen, what's wrong?" Lavi asked. He leaned forward to look Allen in the face and was surprised by the forlorn look on her face. His eyebrows came together in a frown as he poked Allen in the shoulder. Allen looked over at him in surprise.

"Allen, what is wrong?" Lavi reiterated. As Allen was about to speak, Lavi cut him off.

"And if you say 'nothing', I'll tie you up with that ribbon of yours and sick Komurin on you." he threatened. Allen looked at Lavi with sad, but happy eyes, blue orbs that clearly said she appreciated his concern, and was deeply touched. But, when she tried to voice her concerns, what it was that had her bothered, all she could do was open her mouth and close it, no sound being emitted. She gave up, and her bottom lip trembled in a very minor movement, one that was barely detected by Lavi. Her eyes moistened a little at the edges, and for only a brief moment longer were her eyes soft with concern.

When she realized how close she was to crying in public, her grey eyes grew hard with determination. Lavi sighed and stood up from the table, grabbing Allen's tray and his own, taking them to Jerry, the eccentric, pink-haired cook. He walked back to the table that he and Allen had shared, hoisted her up by the back of her exorcist coat, and pulled the very confused Allen Walker from the cafeteria. This continued further into the corridor, until Allen's indignant protests got to Lavi, who let her up.

"Follow me, now, Allen-CHAN." Lavi said, clearly emphasizing the femininity of the suffix. Allen winced.

Three months ago, Lavi had figured out her secret. Allen was glad that she had gone undetected from Lavi's radar for that long. At that point, they had only known each other for two months, give or take a week. Allen had been at that unfortunate time of the month when she was at her most emotional, and at one point, while in an argument with Kanda, her voice had risen too high for a normal male, despite her young age, or so that was what Lavi had said. Allen believed that Lavi had figured out through a more embarrassing manner, but he viciously denied, stating that his pride as a "connoisseur" of beautiful, older women, that he would never look at a female younger than himself. Allen didn't quite believe him, but at least part of that statement had some truth; he did much prefer the older women.

To Allen's great relief, Lavi promised to keep it to himself, but being the dedicated Bookman he was, he asked Allen that he could at least record it somewhere...private. Allen had agreed, but threatened on risk of Lavi's life at Kanda's hands (she didn't have a plan at the time, but as the months passed, she had come up with a few), that he not tell anyone or allow the entry to be seen by anyone. Lavi had also agreed, sealing their pact with a chaste kiss on her forehead, and the following words, "I wouldn't allow anything to cause you pain, Allen-chan. You're secret is my secret." Allen had trusted those words, and still did even as Lavi lead her away to some secret place where he would pester her with questions.

To Allen's slight surprise, Lavi lead her to the library, where a few finders and the Bookman were reading and researching. Lavi waved his hand casually in dismissal at the Bookman's glare, leading Allen to the stairs at the back of the library, leading to the more secluded, upper level.

When Lavi was satisfied with their location, he turned on Allen immediately.

"Tell me." he commanded, not without some gentle tones in his voice. Allen seated herself on a chair and began to tell of the disturbing dream she had had the previous night. Lavi listened intently, following every word, occasionally asking a question about a detail there, a symbol here. Finally, Allen told of her awakening, rushing to Komui's office, turning back half way, and then going to breakfast.

When she was finished, Lavi patted her hand softly, speaking his next words with a kind gentleness.

"I am sure that Yuu-chan is just fine..." he said, squeezing Allen's small hand reassuringly. Allen swallowed and wiped away a threatening tear, then leaned forward to capture Lavi in a hug.

"Thank you, Lavi," she murmured, sniffling. He rubbed her back soothingly. Allen began shaking as the first few tears streaked from her eyes. Her lip trembled as she bit back a sad cry that begged to be released. Lavi pulled her closer, comfortingly, soothingly speaking soft words of consolation. Silent sobs racked her small body, but her crying fit did not last long. She was an exorcist, and though female, took pride in her control over her emotions, and would not allow herself to wallow in a pity-party. When she was calm, she retreated from Lavi's embrace, wiping hastily at her tears.

"Thank you..." she murmured again.

"'S nothing." Lavi responded, averting his eyes from Allen as she recomposed herself. Though Lavi though of himself as her older brother of sorts, and held only the concern for her safety and such, it was still odd for him to see her cry. Some small part of him still looked upon her as a male, so that he would not slip up in front of anyone when talking about Allen, and seeing another man cry was abnormal and uncomfortable.

Allen gently rubbed the tears from her eyes, so as to keep them from reddening and swelling, which would make it evident that she had been crying to anyone who bothered to spare a seconds glance. A sudden ruckus in the downstairs area of the library turned both their attention to the railing. Lavi took a few quick strides over to the railing and looked down.

"Allen! Lavi! Where are you two?!" Lenalee called from the center of the floor, amidst disturbed readers and tables of books.

"What is it, Lenalee-chan?" Lavi called down. Lenalee looked up at him.

"Let me come up there, because I really don't feel like shouting." She said before making her way to the stair case. Lavi shrugged and sat back down in his chair. Allen looked better now, the expression of worry covered by her normal look of happiness. Lenalee entered their area, looking tired and flustered.

"I've been looking for you two for the past half hour!!" she huffed. Lavi shrugged an apology, and Allen muttered a slightly startled, "Sorry."

"Lavi, you have a mission. My brother wants you in his office ten minutes ago. Go now." Lenalee commanded. Lavi blanched and obeyed at her harsh tone, rushing from the library to obey her orders.

"Now, Allen. I wanted to tell you someth- Hey! Have you been crying?" she asked, reaching a hand up to Allen's cheek. Allen paled and brushed the stray tear away, as well as Lenalee's hand.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Allen said softly, turning away. Lenalee watched her for a moment, then her hand gripped her shoulder firmly and turned her back around.

"Allen Walker, you will tell me what is making you this upset! Now!!" she demanded, now both hands gripping his shoulders. Allen smiled weakly at her concern.

"I'm sorry, Lenalee...I can't. I don't think I could say it again." Allen explained, biting her lip. She bowed her head, trying to regain her composure. Not again! Not again!! She would not cry again!! She was stronger than this! It was just a stupid dream. A very realistic, stupid dream... Her chest hitched, her breath catching in her throat.

"No, damn it!" she hissed under her breath, throwing her arm up and knocking Lenalee's hand away. Lenalee could only stare after Allen with a shocked and sad expression. 'So that's why Lavi and Allen were up here?' she wondered, 'Because Allen had told Lavi?' Lenalee bit her lip, debating on whether or not she should follow Allen and be there for the suffering exorcist. Sighing in defeat, Lenalee headed slowly off to Komui's office. She had meant to tell some important news to Allen...

* * *

Well, that was my first chapter, hopefully with more to come... Review and whatnot as you like. It would be appreciated...I'll try to work harder to get another one up if you try harder to review/message. ((I'm fairly new to this whole process, so be kind..))

-Maze Puppet

* * *


	2. Women And Their Meddling

Nightmare

Chapter Two: Women and Their Meddling

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Also, I would like to thank those who reviewed; Dgm-yoai-lover, SilentKiller1, seasnake.756, SeikaDragon, and nanachan87. And last but not least, to InfinityOnTheRun for constructive criticism, easily fixed problems; it was definitely appreciated. Thank you!!

* * *

Lavi only kept running to Komui's office until he was out of sight of the library, and from then he just walked, oh-so casually to the Science Department's level. It would be silly to rush like the devil was at his heels, although Lenalee's temper could measure up to such a being at times. That thought quickened his pace, if only minutely. He heard a door slam open behind him, far back in the corridor, then slam shut, and finally the quickly fading sounds of someone's booted feet running away. Lavi winced, an idea of what would cause that to happen forming in his brain.

"Women and their meddling..." he thought sourly. He loved Lenalee dearly, she was like his little sister (minus a certain, insane sister-complex from his perspective), but she was a typical, worrying, meddling female.

Lavi reached Komui's office soon thereafter, opening the door, expecting to see a dozing Komui. Instead, he found three people before him. Komui was smiling warmly at one of those people, fully awake and comprehensive. Kanda stood in front of Komui, his back to the door. But the third person...Was someone he had never met before. Lavi closed the door louder that was necessary, gaining the attention of all three people.

"Ah! Lavi, you're here. Lenalee found you, didn't she? Did she find Allen? He needed to be up here, as well." Komui said, smiling that ridiculous I'm-so-proud-of-myself-I-did-something-great smile. Or maybe it was a I'm-freakishly-obsessed-with-my-little-sister-(Isn't-she-so-cute?!)-and-proudly-exclaim-it-at-every-moment-possible smile. Lavi really couldn't tell the difference. Whatever it was, it tended to creep Lavi out even at the best times.

"Allen might take a while in getting here, but I think that Lenalee will be right along." Lavi assured, earning a shiver down his spine as that creepy grin on Komui's face grew at the mention of Lenalee's name.

"Hi, Yuu-chan!" Lavi grinned, surprisingly not pouncing on said exorcist. There was a new person here, and a certain chord of Lavi's curiosity had been struck just right, and so Lavi was focused more on him. He still registered Kanda's angry growl in response as he threatened Lavi for using his first name. Lavi paid no mind to Kanda though, for he was watching the new-comer intently. It was an exorcist, he was very sure. Or...a future exorcist...Given that there were no pieces of Innocence on his body.

"So...Who is this new victim of the Dark Order?" Lavi asked teasingly.

* * *

Allen found herself in a deserted corridor, one with no doors, except one at the far end in front of her. She didn't know how long it had been since she had stormed from the library, but she knew that she had spent at least the last thirty minutes or so, curled up in a corner, fighting back the tears. She wanted to be stronger than that; she didn't want to burst out crying at every moment, when her mood was convenient.

Regardless of reason, Allen needed to be strong, for her friends, for her co-workers, for the entire world. As Mana Walker had told her so many times, in the strong, deep voice of his, she needed to keep walking. Allen sniffled and wiped away the last remaining tear, feeling slightly more encouraged now than she had been.

With those words of strength ringing in her mind, Allen headed to the door at the end of the hallway, figuring that it would be best to keep going in the direction she had been running before collapsing in a heap of sobs and tears. It was better than trying to go back the way she came, struggling to remember how she had arrived where she was, or had been. Allen brushed those thoughts away, not caring to confuse herself anymore than she already was.

She finally reached the door and opened it slowly, cautiously, revealing the contents and surroundings of the other side of the door. It was...a stair case? Leading to a grassy field? Where had this come from? Surely there was no such place in the Dark Order's HQ.

But there was no denying it, the grass was surely there. Allen crept down the stairs to the grass and poked her toe into the luscious greenery. Yeah, it was definitely there. Allen took a tentative step onto the grass, testing it's substance. ((Can you imagine how cute she looks right now? )) When Allen was reassured that the grass would not disappear or collapse under her weight, she took the time to survey the area.

"What the hell??"

* * *

((An hour previous.))

Lenalee pushed open the door to her elder brother's office, looking baffled and upset. She knew it was her fault that Allen had run off, it was so obvious. She felt miserable about the whole ordeal, and even worse that she had obviously reopened a painful wound on Allen's subconscious.

"Lenalee! You're back!" Komui practically squealed. Lenalee sighed and nodded.

"But...no Allen?"

"I told you, Komui, Allen probably won't be coming." Lavi said as-a-matter-of-factly. Lenalee looked even more dejected now, making Lavi feel a twinge of guilt. Just a twinge. He also knew it was her fault that Allen was not present, but he would not rub it in her face. That would be rude. Instead, he sent a look of reassurance to Lenalee, one that said, "Don't worry, I'll fix it."

Kanda watched Lenalee and Lavi, wondering briefly what the two had done to the moyashi, but only briefly. He returned his attention to Komui, who was preparing to introduce the reason of Kanda's previous mission.

"Okay, everyone, this is Nicholaus Ivanov, from St. Petersburg, Russia. Kanda found him recently in possession of Innocence. It can only manifest itself into his weapon briefly, so we must create a weapon for it to rest it. His is an equipment type that takes form in gloves. He will be a fist fighter, it seems. Mr. Ivanov, your gloves will be done in two days. Please, make yourself at home here at the Dark Order's Head Quarters. Lenalee-chan, can you show him around the Order?" Komui asked, smiling again. Lenalee nodded.

"Well, Mr. Ivanov, I would like to introduce you to these three." Komui said.

"Ahh, please. Call me Nicho. It is what I was called back in Kiev." Nicho said, in almost perfect English, except his accent, which was very much Russian.

"Okay, Nicho. This is Lenalee Lee, my younger, adorable sister. (Isn't she cute?)" Lavi shuddered briefly, unable to look at Komui's face.

"This red-haired catastrophe is Lavi, Bookman Junior."

"Hey!" Lavi protested.

"And finally, this bundle of joy, as you know, is Kanda Yuu." Kanda growled at Komui, fingers wrapping around Mugen's hilt threateningly. Nicho bowed respectfully to them all.

"They are exorcists, much as you will be. There are others, but they are either on a mission, or they have disappeared inexplicably within the Order." Komui landed a pointed look at Lavi, who gave him a bewildered expression, as if to say, "What did I do?!" Huffing, Lavi folded his arms over his chest and pouted.

"Oh, grow up, baka!" Kanda snapped before leaving the office with the slam of a door. The other four watched the door briefly before going back to what they had been doing, which wasn't much. Lenalee lead Nicho out of the room to begin her tour, and Lavi soon followed, intent to find Allen. Or maybe to pester Kanda. Who knew with Lavi?

Kanda made his way to the training grounds, specifically his private area of the training grounds. It was something that he discovered a few years ago, and he had no idea how it had got there, but it was nice for privacy. It was especially welcome when one wanted to take a reprieve from that baka usagi and his antics.

It would only take a few minutes, if he could find a time period that long, to get away from Lavi, and then another ten minutes to navigate through the corridors and training grounds, and then he would be in his sanctuary, where he could train, meditate, hell, even sleep if he so desired.

Kanda wasn't sure which he would do first, but all he knew was that he was tired, irritable, and...hungry. Smells from the cafeteria wafted under his nose, enticing him to eat something. Not willing to defy his stomach, Kanda made his way to the line to order a lunch, which would consist of typical Soba noodles. After he ate, then he would make his way to his sanctuary.

Unfortunately for Kanda, Lavi had decided to follow him. When Kanda noticed Lavi enter the cafeteria, he immediately froze, thinking in the back of his mind, "If I don't move, he won't see me. No sudden movements!"

"Hey, Yuu-chan!" Kanda cursed vehemently in his mind as Lavi came over.

"Why are you sitting like that, staring at your food, Yuu-chan?" Lavi asked. Kanda snapped out of his thoughts and glared at Lavi.

"Don't call me by my given name, baka usagi, or you will find that my sword and your throat make good friends." Kanda hissed dangerously, picking up his chopsticks.

"Geez, Kanda. Maybe you should learn some calming meditation techniques. I know a few, I could show you." Lavi said, only trying a little to sound perverted, in his defense. But Kanda was not in the mood for even the lightest of jokes, so Lavi soon found himself face-down on the table, arm twisted painfully behind him, and a chopstick stabbing into the vein in his neck.

"It doesn't have to be Mugen, if you push your luck, Lavi," Kanda said slowly, dangerously, chopstick pressing further into the skin. The use of Lavi's name made the threat all the more evident. Lavi nodded with some difficulty, and found the pressure on his neck, face and arm disappearing. Kanda sat down again, looked at his chopstick in disgust.

"Baka, you ruined my chopstick. Go get me another one." he commanded, with a no-questions-asked tone in his voice. Lavi sighed and complied, but only because he wanted to ask Kanda a few questions.

* * *

Allen looked around, her shock apparent. This place! Along with the grass, there were trees, albeit small ones, a few bushes with little blue and purple flowers, and a slight breeze that blew a fragrance around in the air. The odd thing? This was not an outside clearing. Artificial light came in from a high ceiling, and painted walls stretched on for several hundred yards. It was like a cavern! The trees were thick, not allowing the other side of the room to be seen, but the overall appearance of the room was relaxing and comfortable. It looked like someone's private sanctuary.

Allen felt, suddenly, that she was intruding, so she slowly backed out of the room until her boots hit the bottom step of the stairs. She fell back onto the stairs, hitting her head on one of the steps. She groaned in pain and slid down to the base of the stairs, curled up, holding the back of her head. Her vision swam crazily, making the pain of hitting her head worse, as well as the light-headed spinning that seemed to be going on. Allen groaned again and lifted herself up to sit on the bottom step.

It seemed that the day was out to get her, making her more and more miserable, testing her patience more and more, probing to see when she would snap. Allen felt that that moment, when she would snap, was coming closer, much to her dismay. The force of the impact made her quite delirious, so she couldn't do much until the feeling passed. Once it did, Allen had to carefully stand up, then try to stumble up the stairs. Of course, she failed, and fell back down with a pained groan. She gave up and just sat at the base of the stairs. Slowly, oh-so slowly, she fell to sleep, leaning against the wall.

* * *

Review if you want more... And if you have any suggestions, corrections, or comments, feel free to tell me. I'm open to any ideas that you might have about the story so far.

((Russia...As we all know, this takes place somewhere within the past one hundred years, give or take a decade. Due to the fact that I am on summer vacation, which means no school, my brain will not allow me to remember what Russia was called during that time period. So...Sorry, but it'll just be Russia. My remembrance of world history took a hike on the first day of summer.))


	3. Secrets In The Sanctuary

Nightmare

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

I'd like to thank those who reviewed: TESHii-KOiiBiiTO, Dgm-yoai-lover, and SilentKiller1, KHtrinity, and InfinityOnTheRun. It means a lot to me that you take time to review. This chapter is for my awesomely awesome reviewers!! 33

And, one question for Dgm-yoai-lover: What do you mean, it doesn't make any sense?

Chapter Three: Secrets in the Sanctuary

* * *

Kanda finally managed to escape Lavi, ditching him somewhere near the science department. Lavi had become distracted by one thing or another, and Kanda had snuck away, only in a dignified manner, of course. He was headed towards his sanctuary, being wary in case Lavi decided to pop up out of no where. Or perhaps if Lavi decided to stalk Kanda, he would be able to notice Lavi's no-doubt pathetic attempts of secrecy, and head in a different direction, like the actual training grounds or perhaps Kanda's room.

Kanda considered himself lucky as he found that he was not being followed by the hyper-active, red-headed disaster known as Lavi. He made his way through the training grounds peacefully, ignoring anyone who might talk to him. Not that he really had to worry about that, most finders hated him because he was so cold to them, even tending towards violence when dealing with them.

He did nothing to ever try to save them, because he knew that it was their job to find and report information, and on occasion, fight the akuma, at least hold them at bay until an exorcist arrived on scene. They did their job, and Kanda would do his, which was not to save them, but to destroy akuma. The only finder he even remotely liked was Toma, and that was because they had worked together and knew each other well enough. Or, if not that, at least Toma knew how to stay out of his way and do his job right.

"Unlike a certain Moyashi..." Kanda thought aloud. When he realized that he had just spoken that aloud, he had to look around quickly to make sure that no one had heard. Satisfied, Kanda continued walking to his sanctuary. Maybe some light sleep first, then meditation, and finally a few hours of training.

* * *

Allen awoke to find herself still in the stairwell, still leaning up against the wall. That was not irregular, truthfully, she expected as much, but it was the manner in which she awoke. It was not a gradual awakening, but more like someone had awoken her. But no one was present, at least, not that she could see. Allen tenderly felt the back of her head, wincing to find that it was swollen and painful.

She probed the edges of it, to find that it was in a line, straight across the back of her head. Sighing, she carefully stood up, vaguely wondering what time it was. More so, what it was that woke her up. Allen knew her sleeping patterns well, and once asleep, she slept like the dead for at least four and a half hours, unless she was in her own bed. In that case, she could sleep like the dead for almost ten hours. She had tested this many times, only to find that she was right, and that rarely were there exceptions. Sighing again, she thought sourly, 'Except for this morning...'

Leaning against the wall, Allen stared into the green room. She noticed a movement in the trees, dark against the lighter bark of the small growths. 'Midget trees,' Allen thought idly, searching the trees with her sharp eyes. Allen took a few tentative steps forward, being cautious of the being in the trees, and being careful of the wound on the back of her head. There was another movement, but it was further away. Almost immediately, yet another movement closer and off to the left.

Allen had reached the trees by this time, and peaked around the first tree. There, in the middle, was the dark figure. It was breathing hard, swiping long, dark hair out of it's eyes and off it's shoulder. An exorcist's coat lay almost directly in front of Allen. As she stared at the coat, the sound of a sword being sheathed sounded from the figure. Allen's heart stopped. Was it-? There was only one exorcist who had long dark hair and a sword.

"He's okay..." Allen breathed in relief. The figure apparently heard that, and whipped around, his sword in his hands once more. Allen reluctantly stepped around the tree to reveal herself as being friendly, not an enemy. Kanda reluctantly put his sword back, glaring at Allen.

"What the hell are you doing here, Moyashi?" Kanda snapped. Allen looked at Kanda, her eyes soft with sorrow and relief. Kanda returned a confused look, still breathing hard from his training. Allen walked up to Kanda, burying herself in his chest, her own chest hitching as she tried to hold back the tears. Kanda stiffened, his eyes wide and confused, feeling the warmth of Allen's soft body against his.

Still lacking his shirt, Kanda could feel her cheek pressed against the sweat-slicked skin of his upper chest. Kanda slowly, hesitantly, uncertainly slipped his arms around the white-haired exorcist's feminine waist. He could feel her heart beating through her chest...which was pressed against his stomach. Kanda unsuccessfully fought a blush as his own heart stuttered and began picking up pace. Suddenly, he realized that Allen was shaking, her entire body shuddering uncontrollably. His arms tightened, pulling her closer.

"O-oi..Moyashi. What's wrong?" he asked softly, his voice betraying his normal facade of anti-sociality. The smaller girl in his arms drew in a shaky breath and let it go.

"I...I-I don't want to talk about it." she said, her tone growing in courage and determination to not say anything. Kanda sighed, burying his face in her short, but steadily growing longer, hair. He mumbled something into her hair that Allen didn't quite hear.

"Wh-What was that, Kanda?" she asked, hearing too well his pounding heart through his chest...A very muscled and firm chest.

"I said, Moyashi," he emphasized his nickname for her before continuing, "that if you ever...want to talk...I'll be here for you..." His voice grew soft with embarrassment at the kindness of his words. Allen was touched by them, however, and hugged Kanda tighter.

"Thank you, Kanda..." she whispered, her eyes, which had nearly dried up from the tears she had been trying to hide, were again supplied with the salty liquid.

"It's nothing..." Kanda muttered gruffly, still very much embarrassed.

For a while, they just stood there, enjoying privately the company of the other, before Allen breathed in. 'What was that heavenly scent??' she wondered incredulously. Was that...Kanda? Taking another breath confirmed it; Kanda smelled perfectly exotic. Unable to control herself, Allen sniffed Kanda's skin directly, feeling her knees weaken as his scent filled her nose. Allen opened her mouth, her actions just beyond her control now, and licked his warm skin.

When Kanda felt the warm, wetness suddenly touch his skin, he felt his heart stop, and a certain tingling in his lower stomach. He swallowed and, still maintaining his voice, questioned, "Oi, Moyashi-" her lips claimed the spot that she had just tasted, making his voice jump, "-What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, Allen wrapped her hand around the end Kanda's long pony-tail, and as she pulled it down and his head went back, exposing his throat, she stood on her toes to reach his neck. She dragged her tongue from the base of his neck to his jaw, before placing a seductive kiss on his jaw line. Kanda couldn't help but shudder; it felt like nothing he had ever experienced before. It was...breath-taking.

"Moyashi?" he asked breathlessly, still confused, but undeniably enjoying it. Releasing her hold on his pony-tail, Allen wrapped her arms around his neck. Kanda looked down at her, his dark eyes shining with a new light that had never been shown in his eyes before. They both leaned together, their lips gently pushing together. Soft, feminine lips pressing against not-as-soft, thin lips. Their hearts both jumped to a new pace, beating a tempo that they only felt in the midst of a battle.

Since neither of them was too experienced in love and seduction, they did not go further than that small kiss before breaking apart, both blushing furiously, but unable to deny just how good it had felt to be...connected in such a way. Their bodies were fighting, crying out for more, but their minds were more sensible and reasonable.

"I-I am going to go b-back to the...umm...Yeah." Allen tried to word her meaning correctly, but her tongue forgot how to work. She swallowed and pointed back the way she came.

"..That way." she finished lamely. Kanda silently nodded, having not the presence of mind to make fun of the girl, for he was in the same condition. His heart was still pounding with a fierce determination to burst from his chest. Allen absently began to walk off, and as Kanda watched her, his mind screamed for him to pull her back into his training area and continue where they had left off, but the more sensible part of him held back, and just watched the small, feminine form disappear, with a sense of regret.

It was an amazing sensation, though, when his thoughts traveled back to everything that had lead up to this point.

That horrifically sad look in Allen's eyes before she had buried herself in his arms; her shuddering breath against his skin, her warm tongue trailing up his neck, and that soft, mind-blowing kiss to deliver the final blow. Kanda cursed softly, and drew a shaking breath. The whole thing was completely unexpected, but not unpleasant.

* * *

Woo...That was short...But..I think you've had enough excitement for one day...winks Sorry that Kanda's demeanor changed so quickly...But...Who the hell can resist a sad Allen, girl version or guy version? Allen's just so damned cute!! No, Kanda does not know Allen is a girl...So...You can imagine how confused he is right now...And frustrated. XD

Review if you want more... ((I want at least ten...It's not too much to ask, ne?))


	4. Unwilling

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Okay...To my reviewers...I love you guys!! Your reviews made me feel all fuzzy inside. And, though I can't dedicate this chapter to you guys...Because I just can't, know that chapter five will be for you guys!! Thank you so much. I still feel all fuzzy 'n' stuff.33

Thank you to: Kyurengo, TESHii-KOiiBiiTO, Yume Li, SeikaDragon, KHtrinity, nanachan87, InfinityOnTheRun, harmony-of-mar, Belladonna-Isabella, and SilentKiller1. You guys are the greatest.3

Congratulations!! You have sent ten reviews for last chapter!! And so, I decided to update this early, rather than waiting the allotted time before updating.

And, to Yume Li: No, Kanda doesn't know Allen is a girl. Can you imagine what must be going through his mind? Ahh, the things that I do to these characters...

Chapter Four: Unwilling

* * *

Kanda stood in the middle of the private training grounds, the implications of what had just happened finally sinking in. Eye twitching in disgust, Kanda spat on the ground and rubbed at his bottom lip. It wasn't something entirely mature, but Kanda hardly cared.

"What the fuck, Moyashi?!" he snarled at the air around him. It disgusted him! It pissed him off!! Stupid damned moyashi had taken advantage of him!! What was infinitely worse than that was that Kanda had _enjoyed_ it! Kanda swiped his sword from its sheathe and fell into a fury-induced training maneuver that would leave his body insanely tired. This, of course, had a purpose. It would allow Kanda to lay calmly on the ground, allow his body to recuperate, and then he could think without violent urges taking over his body and distracting him.

When Kanda finally fell to the ground in exhaustion, he was almost half-way done with his thinking. It was still amazing to Kanda how calmly he could think in the midst of training or actual fighting. Regardless, it was a useful thing to have.

Kanda had realized that in no way was he homosexual. There was just no way. Too many facts pointed otherwise. So there had to be something wrong with the Moyashi. Some factor that had yet to reveal itself, and, while Kanda would not openly search for that factor; he would wait until it showed itself. Perhaps the Moyashi used some drug on him, though that wasn't very likely. As far as Kanda knew, he had only seen the Moyashi once since he had arrived back at the Dark Order, unless the Moyashi was stalking him.

"I'd kill him if he was," Kanda said softly before slipping into a deep, refreshing sleep.

* * *

The following weeks were spent with Allen avoiding conversation, or anything similar, with Kanda, who gladly obliged. The only time someone noticed was when they realized that there were no arguments between Allen and Kanda, and from then all that person could think about was whether it was more like the calm before the storm, or perhaps a ticking bomb. And then they would hurry along their way, not caring to be around in case that cataclysm occurred. Twice Allen was sent on a mission, and though they were simple, she was able to leave the Dark Order, and Kanda, for at least a few days.

That atmosphere between them was uncomfortable for her, so she gladly took up any missions offered. Lavi, unsurprisingly, was the first to realize that something was amiss. He immediately confronted Allen, asking what had gone wrong. It took ten minutes of convincing to get the furiously blushing and denying Allen to even admit that something was, in fact, wrong. It took another fifteen minutes for Allen to tell Lavi what happened. Each time Lavi noticed that Allen was leaving something out, he would interrupt and use more "persuasion" to get Allen to tell the whole thing. The whole process took right around two hours.

When Lavi finally got the whole story, he had sat back in his chair, and thought deep for a few minutes. Allen had sighed, covering half her face with a spread-fingered hand. Though she had been frustrated, she was also embarrassed by having to tell Lavi about the whole ordeal. As Lavi had been about to speak, no doubt to put Allen through more discomfort, Allen's stomach rumbled in protest, breaking off the interrogations. Taking the cue, Allen left in a hurry, headed to the cafeteria with a hurried excuse and a wave of her hand.

That had been two and a half weeks ago, and as Allen found herself remembering these things, she was headed back from breakfast at the cafeteria. She saw Lenalee walking towards her, looking serious. Curious and concerned, Allen intercepted her.

"Lenalee, what's wrong?" Allen asked, tilting her head to the side. Lenalee looked faintly relieved for a moment, as though seeing Allen had made her task easier.

"Ahh, Allen, I was looking for you. You have a mission, and my brother wants you in his office in ten minutes. I'm on my way to find Kanda, would you like to come with me?" Lenalee offered kindly. At the mention of Kanda, Allen fought against a rising blush.

"Ehh, I don't think I can. I have to go to my room real quick before I go see Komui." she said, feeling guilty for the lie, but definitely not wanting to face Kanda. Lenalee gave her a suspicious look.

"Sorry, Allen, but you've never been a good liar. And besides, I want to talk to you." Lenalee's tone left no room for argument as she hooked her arm around Allen's and lead her away, further from Allen's room, down towards the training grounds where Kanda was no doubt bound to be found.

Allen protested against Lenalee's hold, which was almost iron-like and unbreakable, spouting reasons left and right as to why Lenalee should let go. Some were as ridiculous as, "I need to find my left sock!!" and, "I'm allergic to Kanda!!" Allen couldn't think of any sensible reasons, and so kept spouting off reasons not to go.

"You're breaking my arm!! I have to go to get it fixed!"

"I am not, Allen, now quite complaining."

"I lost my poker cards!! I have to go find them!!"

"You can look for them later; I want to talk to you"

"But- but!! My poker cards!! They are my babies!! I must find them!!"

"You'll live, Allen."

Soon enough, before Allen realized it, they had arrived at the training grounds, with Allen still complaining and protesting loudly.

"Lena-" Allen was about to protest again, but then surveyed her surroundings.

"Shit."

"Finally, you shut up. You know, Moyashi, you can really irritate the living hell out of someone with just one word. You don't need to spout off unnecessarily to be successful." Kanda's voice said vindictively from the shadows of a nearby wall. Allen bit back a groan of despair from the sound of his voice, pulled weakly at Lenalee's grip once more before standing there, defeated.

"Kanda, you have a mission. My brother wants you in his office now." Lenalee said, smiling sweetly at Kanda, which threw him off a bit. He nodded curtly and then picked up his exorcist coat, slipped it on, and headed from the training grounds.

"See, Allen, that wasn't so bad. Why the hell did you throw such a fit?" Lenalee asked quietly. Allen sighed. It was bad enough that she had to face the heartless bastard, but it was kind of nice to hear his normal, insulting voice again. It allowed Allen to believe that a sense of normalcy was beginning to come back between her and Kanda. It was a relief, for sure. Lenalee tugged Allen towards the direction that Kanda had taken off in a few seconds previous, then asked again, "Why did you protest so much in coming down here, Allen? I know you hate Kanda and all, but, really! You two need to learn how to operate around each other without fighting or arguing."

Allen sighed.

"If I told you why, you'd never believe me." she said softly. Lenalee's eyes widened almost comically.

"What did he-!!" Allen clapped her hand over Lenalee's mouth, as her voice had risen to an almost yell, echoing in the corridor. Allen heard a harsh sniff from Kanda up ahead, but he didn't turn or say anything. After watching him a moment, she removed her hand from Lenalee's mouth, putting one finger to her own lips in a silent "shhh" gesture. Lenalee nodded.

"Sorry," she apologized quietly. Allen shrugged off the apology.

"It's not what Kanda did..." Allen said quietly, looking at the stoic man's back as he walked ahead of them, hand clamped around his sword in an instinctive gesture, long hair swaying side-to-side as he walked. A few wisps of hair had broken free of the pony-tail and floated gracefully behind him. The same scent that had driven Allen to do one of the most embarrassing things that she had ever done in her life, presented itself tantalizingly under Allen's nose, causing her to blush furiously.

"What did- What happened?" Lenalee asked quietly, pulling Allen back a bit to put distance between them and the swordsman.

"Well...I don't want to say, Lenalee. Maybe some other time..."

Lenalee sighed and then nodded.

"Kanda! Allen! Took you two long enough to get here! You have a mission!" Komui said brightly, rummaging through his office for something, smiling the whole time.

"Uhh...Together? We have a mission...together?" Allen asked hesitantly, nervously.

"Why, yes, of course. Why? Is that a problem?" Komui asked in response.

"Ehh...No. It's not."

"Good! Well, you are to travel to Hungary. Budapest, to be precise. There has been a suspicious amassing of akuma there, and we suspect that there might be Innocence involved. We want you to go there and investigate, and get the Innocence, if there is Innocence there. Normally, Finders would go there instead, but there are too many akuma there. The last three finders that we sent there did not return. The five before them, came back, but did not live long, other than to report in what they knew." Komui finally retrieved two crumpled up folders, which it was assumed that those were the information folders to be given to Kanda and Allen, and then, after setting them on his desk, Komui's expression became grave. This set Allen and Kanda on edge, throwing them off briefly.

"I want you two to be on guard. No bickering, no fighting, no arguing of any sort. This is dangerous ground, and you can't be screwing off only to be caught and then killed. Or worse, get captured. If the Noah are involved in this specific area, you have to be cautious." Komui warned, his eyes flicking between Kanda and Allen. Suddenly, catching the other two off guard again, Komui smiled again.

"I'm sure it's nothing you boys can't handle!"

Kanda responded with an annoyed, "Che.", before grabbing one of the files from the desk and then left the room. Allen and Komui watched him briefly.

"Allen. I must insist that you be careful. Don't go jumping randomly into things, okay? I would hate for anything bad to happen to you or Kanda. Be cautious, be on guard, and keep a constant watch on things. Every human in that city may be an akuma. You can't give anyone the benefit of the doubt, alright? And, please, just be safe, okay?" Komui's voice was soft with concern, not behaving like his goofy self, but being completely serious. Allen nodded in reassurance, then left the room.

Komui watched the door for a second, then swiped his glasses off his face, planted his face in his folded arms on his desk, and tried his best to hide the tears that escaped his eyes. He didn't want to send those two to Budapest. He didn't want to send anyone, regardless of how powerful, how high their synch rate was, if they were a general. It did not matter to him. That city, from the reports, was a death trap for any human, exorcist or not.

Biting his lip, Komui remembered the forceful words of his superiors. They had demanded that someone be sent to Budapest and that it didn't matter who it was. Komui had agreed after half an hour of arguing, but only on the condition that it be two exorcists to go, for a higher chance that they survive. His superiors had agreed, but then they had given conditions of their own.

"Allen Walker must be one of the exorcists. It is time that we test his loyalty to the Dark Order, as well as his Innocence synchronization percentage. If he remains at one hundred percent, after this mission, he will be made a general." If he survives.

The unspoken and spoken words had echoed around the room. Komui had stared at them, disbelief evident in his expression. Weakly responding an affirmative, Komui had hurried from the room. To his disgust, Komui, after reaching his office, found himself getting sick and throwing up weakly from the shock of his orders. For a week, Komui had gone over the files of all the other exorcists, trying to see who would be more likely to protect and work well with Allen. Komui knew that no matter who went with the white-haired exorcist, Allen would protect them with all the he had.

Finally, Komui had come up with two candidates to go with Allen. Lavi or Kanda. If Lavi went, the Bookman would end up going as well, and though that was a good thing, it would be going against his orders. So, Kanda it was.

Komui broke into a fresh bout of tears, collapsing behind his desk, praying to God to keep Allen and Kanda safe on their mission. He clasped his hands hard enough together that his small nails created five little half-moons of blood on each hand.

* * *

Wah!! It's so sad! Poor Komui...I felt like crying as I wrote this...

Ten reviews, please...


	5. Portsmouth

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Thanks to my dear reviewers: InfinityOnTheRun, SeikaDragon, Kyurengo, Belladonna-Isabella, nanachan87, harmony-of-mar, B.D. Gerretson, TESHii-KOiiBiiTO, Akara Akanoma, imhappynessinabottle, SilentKiller1.

A/N: You guys are lucky...because I have decided to make this chapter long. With perspectives from Allen and Kanda both. Mind you, though, when it's from Kanda's perspective, Allen will be referred to as a guy. Forgive any mistakes in which Allen's gender is written wrong...But, do let me know if you spot any. Enjoy!!

Chapter Five: Portsmouth

* * *

Unfortunately for Allen, when it was time to depart for Budapest, they had to board the train in Kanda's favored manner. Jumping. From a ridiculous height. Aiming for a speeding target. With no real assurance that one would even make it.

Cursing Kanda vehemently under her breath, Allen jumped from the ledge, gritting her teeth, prepared to roll when she landed to absorb the shock of the landing. Another unfortunate thing, Kanda was almost directly in front of her. Instead of landing gracefully and rolling like she had planned, Allen ended up in a tangled mass of limbs with Kanda.

Painful? Yes. Embarrassing? Most definitely, yes. Irritating? Oh, yeah. Cursing Kanda again, Allen disentangled herself from the also cursing black-haired, older man. Allen found the opening on the roof of the train and slid herself in, then dropped and quickly moved out of the way for Kanda. A steward came up to her, looking greatly disturbed and scared.

"Ah, sir? Y-You can't enter the t-train like that." he said, the fear evident in his eyes. He probably thought that Allen was some sort of train robber.

"We are exorcists from the Dark Order. We should have a reservation." Allen said briefly. A thump sounded behind her, signaling that Kanda was also in the train.

"Ah, yes. Okay, follow me, then, please." the steward said hurriedly, waving his arms politely. He led them to the first class coach, then gave them their own room.

"Thank you for ch-choosing to ride with us, s-sir. I hope that you enjoy your r-ride."

"And thank you." Allen said in return, smiling reassuringly. Kanda just glared and sat down as Allen closed the door. Without even sparing a glance at Kanda, Allen propped herself up against the wall, legs extended on the cushioned bench as she pulled out the mission file and began reading.

She managed to get half way through the file peacefully before she glanced up towards the window of their room. The sun wasn't visible in the sky, which meant that it was still early in the day. Allen had thought that more time had passed while she had been reading, but apparently not.

Allen didn't exactly pride herself in her reading skills, seeing as she had never really had a proper education, and had only attended school for maybe a total of a year out of her fifteen years alive. Maybe she was getting better at it. General Cross hadn't spent a whole lot of time in teaching her how to read, more time was probably spent in teaching her "useful" tricks in cheating people out of their money, such as cheating at gambling, pick pocketing, and general thievery.

Mana Walker, on the other hand, had taken his time in teaching Allen how to read, mathematics, and other such important things. Mana had also taught Allen some German, French, and Hungarian, which she was fluent in those three now, as well as a small amount of Russian and Spanish. Portugese had been the next thing on the list before... Allen winced. Needless to say, Allen could travel all over Europe without a problem, thanks to her adoptive father.

As for languages from General Cross, Allen knew plenty of foul language in many different dialects. Other than that, Allen learned a minute amount of Egyptian, Chinese, and a few dialects from India.

"Oi, Moyashi. We need to get off the train to transfer to a boat." Kanda's voice broke through Allen's thoughts abruptly, and Allen noticed that she had almost fallen asleep. Quickly licking her lips, she put away the folder of information. She noticed for the first time that the train was slowing down, and that outside the window was a view of the inside of a train station. Allen stood up, finding herself staring at Kanda's chest, her nose not three inches from him. Memories of the time in the private training grounds immediately surfaced, causing Allen to blush furiously. The final brakes to stop the train screamed, and the whole train jerked forward, knocking Allen off balance and falling into Kanda, who was unprepared for the sudden "assault".

They ended up with Allen sitting down, looking up; Kanda leaning over her, hands planted on either side of her head, preventing himself from falling on top of her, looking down.

A very compromising position indeed.

Dark, dark grey, almost black, surprised eyes stared into also surprised, light grey eyes.

Allen flushed furiously and broke eye contact first, staring down at her hands, which were pressed against Kanda's chest. Whether they had been trying to grab him as she fell or if they had been trying to keep him from falling on her was beyond Allen. She removed her hands and waited on tense nerves for Kanda to move.

After another few infinitely long seconds, Kanda did just that, but not in the way that Allen expected. Indeed, she had been hoping that he would just back off, and he did, but...His right hand, as Kanda retreated, absently stroked Allen's cheek softly.

At first, Allen thought that it was an accident, but knowing Kanda the way she did...Kanda was constantly in complete control of his body. He trained himself for several hours a day to attain such control, and had been for who knew how many years. And one, idle hand trailing its way over her cheek was no accident from Kanda Yuu.

Kanda left the compartment first, with Allen following him slowly, still shocked. She was fighting with herself, saying over and over in her head that it had been an accident. That Kanda wouldn't purposely touch her.

"He doesn't touch cursed people, remember?" she thought sadly.

"But-! He always has complete control of himself! He's Kanda Yuu, for God's sake!" another part of her argued.

Allen found it hard to argue against that fact, but as she stepped off the train onto the platform, following Kanda closely, she could only accept the fact that it had been an accident. Anything else...was insanely preposterous.

Allen looked around at the train station, trying to remember the city that they had just entered. A sign hanging over their heads welcomed them in bold letters.

"Portsmouth, eh?" Allen wondered aloud.

* * *

Kanda heard Allen speak, but not what he said.

"What was that, Moyashi?" he asked, sounding slightly irritated. Maybe the tone wasn't necessary, but years of having a sour attitude and the tone to go with it, were hard to break.

"Nothing, BaKanda." Allen replied sharply. Well, at least the kid was out of his shock. The expression on his face before they left the train had almost made Kanda laugh out loud. Not that Kanda was purposely teasing him, or leading him on; as far as Kanda knew he was straight and had no interest in other males, but that look had been priceless. As for the moyashi's sexual orientation, Kanda hadn't a clue, and if he expected anything from Kanda, he was sadly mistaken. Kanda wasn't exactly looking for a female partner, but he most certainly didn't want a male partner.

Resisting the urge to shudder, Kanda led the way from the train station towards the city docks. He wanted to check what time the next ship left for Le Havre, France, and then, if possible, reserve a room, maybe two, on the ship. As they headed towards the central square, on the way to the docks, Kanda turned to Allen.

"Oi, Moyashi."

"My name is Allen."

"I'm going to go to the docks to check for ships leaving port soon. You go get something to fill that ungodly pit in your stomach before we leave. I know you're hungry, so just go do it." Kanda commanded. Allen gave him an odd look.

"Meet me at the docks in half an hour, baka Moyashi." And with that Kanda left the confused boy, walking briskly towards the docks. Ignoring the slightly unsettling feeling at leaving the moyashi alone, he pushed past people, not bothering to apologize to anyone who might have accidentally been knocked over in his wake. He glared at anyone who stared at him. He knew it was abnormal for a Japanese man to be walking around in a British city, much less one carrying himself with the pride of a warrior, never mind the sword at his waist.

When Kanda finally made it to the docks, he almost had a hard time finding anyone who would talk to him, much less answer his questions. Quickly getting tired of being ignored, Kanda grabbed the nearest sailor and demanded to know where the nearest ship information building was. The sailor quickly answered, seeing the fierce glare and backing down almost immediately.

"So much for strong sailors," Kanda muttered in Japanese, sniffing indifferently at the cowering man as he released him. Kanda followed the direction of the man's shaking, pointing finger. He found the building easily, as the front of it was emblazoned with the company's name. Kanda went inside, looking for someone to be useful.

"I need to know the departure time of the next ship headed to Le Havre, France." Kanda demanded, eye twitching as he watched the scruffy, dirty man behind the counter.

"Ehh, heh?" the man asked unintelligibly. Clearly he was not a very educated man.

"Tell me, what ship next leaves for Le Havre, and at what time." Kanda explained slowly, sarcastic and angry tone evident.

"Ach! I see what yer askin' me. Yer one of them fancy lord fellers, ain't ya?"

Kanda's eye twitched.

"Just. Tell. Me."

"Ahh, well lemme check me logs here, sirrah." the dirty man snickered. He did check his logs, but it seemed to take him a while. He kept looking up at Kanda, and then back down at his logs.

"Ehh...sirrah, I hate to tell ye this...But only two ships are headed to Le Havre for the next week. An' one of them left an hour ago."

"That's fine. When does the other leave?" Kanda asked with a great deal more patience than he felt.

"Ehh...Sirrah...It's a cargo ship. It ain't got much goin' fer passengers."

"That. Is. Fine." Kanda growled, "Just tell me when it leaves." The man smiled a very...what would be a toothy grin, if he didn't only have five or six teeth. Kanda bit his tongue and forced himself to not breathe for a few seconds until that smile disappeared.

"Five o'clock, sirrah!" he said happily.

"How much will it cost for a small room onboard, for two passengers?" Kanda asked, taking a small step back to put distance from the man's obscene, and rather disgusting, smile.

"Ten pounds, sirrah! And if yer wantin' food services, it'll be another five."

Kanda paid for the room, then left in a hurry, not without hearing one more statement from the man.

"Make sure ye and yer friend'll be here before five, sirrah, or the ship'll leave ye behind. The ship's name is the _Marie Theresa_, captain is James Fletcher."

Kanda shuddered as he walked out and was overcome by the sudden urge to go take a shower. Ignoring that urge, Kanda walked along the docks until he found the _Marie Theresa_, a medium sized cargo ship. Men were loading heavy crates onto the ship, no doubt preparing it for it's next journey. Kanda approached one of the men.

"Where is Captain James Fletcher?" Kanda asked in his normal, cold tone. The sailor sized him up before answering slowly.

"Capt'n Fletcher's up on deck. Why're ye askin'?" Kanda brushed past him, not answering, and couldn't help but think, "God save us from illiterates who can't speak properly to save their life." The man protested at Kanda's back, but he wasn't listening, having already made his way to the plank leading up to the ship's deck.

"Are you Captain Fletcher?" Kanda asked the man who had his right hand resting on the railing, staring out to the water.

"Yes, I am. Who is asking?" the man responded, glancing briefly behind him at Kanda.

"I have booked a room on your ship for your next passage to Le Havre through your ship's company." Kanda said, and as he did, he thought sarcastically, "Someone with an intelligible speech structure. It's a miracle."

"Son, I hate to tell you, but this ship is no passenger ship."

"I am fully aware of that. This is a cargo ship. My...companion...and I need a ship that can get to Le Havre within the next day, and yours is leaving within the next few hours. It is convenient." Kanda explained shortly.

"Now, excuse me, but I will have no outlaws on my ship. If you're on the run-"

"I assure you, we are not. We are exorcists from the Dark Order under the jurisdiction of the Vatican. Anything more than that, you need not know."

"Oh, I see. Alright then, you are welcome aboard my ship. Departure is at five, but be here before then, other wise you will get left behind." Fletcher warned.

"Fine."

"Oh, Exorcist. May I ask your name? And that of your companion?"

"Kanda. My...companion...is Allen Walker."

With that, Kanda left, going to find said "companion".

* * *

After Kanda left, Allen stared after him momentarily before walking off to go find a café or something similar. Kanda had been right in thinking that Allen was hungry, but only minutely. It had only been three and a half hours since she had eaten, so she was okay.

Quickly, she found a small café on a side street from the central square and ordered the first sugar-laden thing she could find. If she wasn't going to eat a lot, at least she'd eat something that held a lot of energy. Allen ended up ordering some overly-sugared delight and a small flavored coffee, also with sugar. The little pie that she had ordered disappeared almost as soon as it was in her hand, gone in a few quick bites. The coffee, however, took longer, as it was hot and Allen didn't want to burn her mouth.

Allen paid for her treats, then left the café. She had another twenty minutes before she had to meet Kanda at the docks, so she wandered through the central square, looking at all the little shops lining the streets. One shop in particular caught her attention. It was a woman's clothing shop, hosting all the newest fashions. Allen winced and hurried past. Hiding her gender took more from Allen than just binding her chest and deepening her voice. It was a blow to her pride that she might never be able to expose her feminine side to all her friends, could never be herself completely, without worrying if the trust that she had gained in her friends would all be washed down the drain when they found that she had lied to them.

Allen nearly slapped herself at that thought. Taking a look at Lavi's reaction when he had found out, why should the reactions of Komui, Lenalee, Kanda, and anyone else be any different?

Allen gasped. Kanda! Kanda only knew of her as a male! So...He probably thought that Allen was gay!! A whole new perspective opened up to Allen and she nearly giggled at the thought. Kanda probably thought that Allen was a threat to his sexuality. That made the desire to laugh even stronger.

"You're lucky, Kanda," Allen thought mischievously, "At least I really am a girl."

Allen met up with Kanda at the docks, as was arranged. Upon seeing the sour man, Allen suppressed the urge to laugh again, though her eyes sparkled a little in the process.

"Oi, Moyashi."

"My. Name. Is. Allen. Get it right, BaKanda!!" Allen growled.

"I need to sleep. We are going to get a hotel room, but only for the next few hours." Kanda said tonelessly.

"Okay. When is the boat leaving?" Allen asked, looking up at Kanda, an eyebrow arched.

"Five o'clock."

"Oh. Okay, so let's go get a hotel room."

Kanda said nothing more and began walking back towards the central square, where there was bound to be a hotel. Allen trailed along behind him, hands behind her back, looking innocent. Watching his hair swing back and forth as he walked, Allen felt the urge to smack it. No, not Kanda, unfortunately, though that would be funny, but Kanda's ponytail. As far as Allen knew, that was the first cat-like urge that she got when thinking about or watching Kanda, and the feeling she got from it was either pure insanity, with a hint of "death wish", or...No, just pure insanity. There was nothing else to describe the sensation.

"Lavi must be rubbing off on me," Allen thought, grinning. That, of course, was a disaster in every sense of the word. And would mean literal hell for Kanda if Allen ever got the courage to begin acting like Lavi.

Kanda had been about to go for a side-road hotel, one with cheap prices and cheaper rooms, but Allen insisted that they go to a different hotel. The one Allen selected was called "The Grande Hotel", and was directly on the main street. Excessively extravagant and decorative, when Kanda gave Allen a questioning and withering look, Allen just grinned cutely and shrugged.

"Why not?" that look said as Allen walked in.

"I'm not paying for something this ridiculous, Moyashi."

"Fine, I have no problem with it. I don't like staying in cheap hotels."

"You, who was raised by one of the poorest Generals in the entire Order." Kanda remarked sourly.

"Are you going to complain the entire time, BaKanda?" Allen asked, putting a rather menacing smile on her face, much like her rather psychotic poker face. Kanda rolled his eyes.

"Che. Do whatever you want."

"That's what I thought."

Allen approached the front desk, smiling her cutest at the attendant. It was a man only a few years older than Kanda, who smiled, startled, and blushed a little.

"Hello, how can I help you?" he asked, gazing at Allen, ignoring the black-haired bundle of anger behind Allen.

"I'd like to get a room, please. With private bathing facilities." Allen responded, batting her eyelashes, fully aware of the fact that she was still masquerading as a male.

"Uhh...Sure. Where would you like that room?" the man asked, clearly enamored of Allen's cute looks. Kanda nearly gagged.

"Well, where do you think I should get it?" Allen asked, pouting her lips. The man stuttered.

"Ahh, w-well, you could get it on the top floor. Th-there's this one room with the best view for looking out over the water."

"Ooohh...that sounds good." Okay, scratch that, Kanda did gag, but he just hid it very well.

"We'll do that, then."

Allen smiled cutely again as the man handed her a key, and the bill. Allen paid for her room and turned back to Kanda. She waved the receipt at him, grinning.

"Master may have been broke all the time with hundreds of debts, but at least we always had somewhere nice to stay."

"Where the hell do you get off flirting like a slut? You're a man. Men do not flirt with other men." Kanda hissed angrily. It frankly disgusted him to see Allen do that.

The hurt look that Allen gave Kanda made Kanda feel like he just kicked a helpless animal...like a puppy or a kitten. Kanda clenched his jaw and glared at Allen.

"Would you prefer to stay somewhere where bugs crawled all over you and you can hear the prostitutes at work next door??" Allen demanded. Kanda glared, but shut up and followed Allen to the top floor.

"I call the bathroom." Allen said cheerfully.

"Che." Kanda walked over to the bed and laid down, Mugen resting against his chest as he closed his eyes. Allen watched him for a second. It almost looked like Kanda was dead, so quickly that his entire body went still. Shrugging, Allen walked into the bathroom, shut and locked the door. There was an exquisitely designed bathtub spanning the length of the far wall, easily a five foot radius at the base alone.

"Ahhh! Amazing!" Allen whispered happily. She un-buttoned her coat and folded it neatly on the counter near the bathtub. Allen turned on the hot water valve, and then plugged the bathtub, and then began undressing. Getting the bindings off of her chest seemed to take longer than necessary, though perhaps it was because Allen had had to make the bindings tighter in order to fully contain her blooming breasts. When they were finally off, Allen stretched forward, touching her bare toes, then backwards, almost touching the ground behind her feet, then to the left and right.

Letting out a contented sigh, she rolled up the wrapping and then set it one the rest of her clothes. By this time, the bathtub was filled with steaming water. Pouring in some conveniently placed bath salts, Allen took a step into the water, shuddering in delight at the feeling of the hot water on her skin. It had been too long since she had taken a bath.

The treacherously slick bottom of the bathtub was not the best place to put all your weight, so Allen learned the hard way. The tub was deep, so Allen didn't hurt herself too much, but the sound of the splash and her hitting the bottom of the tub resounded in the room, no doubt alerting the sleeping swordsman in the next room. Allen winced and pushed up out of the water, spluttering and choking on the water that suddenly invaded her mouth and nostrils. When her coughing fit was over, Allen flipped her wet hair out of her face, rubbing her eyes free of water.

"Oi! Moyashi!!" Kanda's voice called from the main room. Allen spat the remaining water from her mouth before answering.

"What?"

"Don't make so much damned noise!!" At that, Allen stuck her tongue out at the door, then smacked the wall spitefully. She could hear Kanda's growl, then a creak as he stood up from the bed, then his footsteps as he neared the bathroom.

"If you come in here, Kanda Yuu, I will make you regret it for the rest of your miserable life!!" Allen threatened, actually sounding dangerous to her own ears. Kanda's footsteps stopped a few feet from the door and Allen heard him growl again.

"Now go away and leave me in peace!" Allen called, before sinking her head into the water. Under water, Allen could vaguely hear Kanda's foot steps leading away from the bathroom, and she smiled victoriously. At least the bastard listened.

* * *

Kanda lay glaring up at the ceiling. He couldn't go back to sleep now. Something in Allen's voice when he threatened through the door had made Kanda curious. Not that the wimpy threat worried Kanda, but there was an odd desperate tone to his voice. One that told Kanda that maybe Allen would actually go through with his treat. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time that he had heard Allen threaten someone, and most of the time, he did follow through with it. Maybe it was that tone that made Kanda feel as if the Moyashi could actually manage to make Kanda suffer.

Growling and shaking the thoughts out of his head, Kanda closed his eyes and slowly slipped into a meditative state. He maintained that state for a good thirty minutes before he fell asleep.

Kanda woke up about two hours later, snapping open his eyes to immediately search out the clock that he remembered seeing on the wall when he first came into the room. It was ten minutes past four o'clock. Kanda looked around the room again and noticed that Allen was not in it at all. In fact, it appeared as though he had yet to leave the bathroom.

"What the hell takes two and half hours in there??" Kanda demanded under his breath.

"Oi!! Moyashi!! What the hell are you still doing in there??" Kanda asked, pounding on the door.

Allen jumped, awakening from her sleep. Holy hell! She had actually fallen asleep in the bath tub??

"N-nothing! Stay out there, Kanda!! I'm warning you!!" Allen threatened again. She was somewhat afraid that Kanda might not listen this time, and come barging in, whilst Allen was struggling to get out of the water and wrap a towel around herself.

"Che. Baka! You're like a woman!! Spending hours in the damned bathroom." Kanda grumbled. Allen flushed and tried to maintain her "manly" voice.

"Ah, shut the hell up, Kanda!! Make yourself useful and go get some food!!" Allen yelled back. Kanda growled again, clearly pissed. He stomped away, opened the door, then slammed it shut, the sound making Allen wince.

She regretted being so rude to Kanda, but it was necessary. If he had walked in...Allen shook the thought out of her head. It didn't happen, and for that she was glad.

Kanda seethed, the stupid moyashi's yelled response pissing him off more and more. The damned brat could find his own damned way to the docks, and then find the damned ship too!!

* * *

Allen was completely dressed by four-thirty, and out of the hotel by four-thirty-seven. While she didn't know the name of the boat, because a certain inconsiderate Japanese man hadn't bothered to tell her, Allen was confident that she could find it. All she had to do was asking someone on the docks where the next ship to leave for Le Havre was, and then she was all set. Maybe she could be there before Kanda, and when he stepped aboard, she could stick her tongue out him in victory. Kanda wouldn't like that at all, Allen knew, which made her grin.

When Allen reached the docks, she didn't have to go very far before she saw a scowling Kanda, facing off a pissed-looking sailor. She walked up and looked between the two curiously.

"Let me guess, Kanda. You said something to piss someone else off? You couldn't stick to just one person a day; you must expand your horizons?" Allen teased. Kanda didn't say anything.

"Heh, boy, is this your friend?" the angry man asked, sneering at Allen. Kanda's glare intensified.

"Not hardly, baka." Kanda replied in a cold, hard tone. The menace in that tone sent a shiver down Allen's spine.

"What did you call me, boy?!" the man growled threateningly.

"Baka." Kanda said slowly, "Which you are, quite obviously."

The man clenched his fist and pulled it back to punch Kanda. Before his fist moved a foot, Allen clapped her own hand over the man's and held it back, with some difficulty.

"There is no need to get violent, mister." Allen said warningly. Kanda growled behind him.

"I don't need you to defend me, Baka Moyashi."

"Shut up, Kanda."

"Oh? This little runt wants to defend you? That's pathetic!!" the man laughed annoyingly and loudly. The man was a good foot taller than Allen, and obviously a hundred pounds heavier. He wrapped his large hand around Allen's wrist and pulled her up off the ground to stare her in the face.

"Well, runt? What are you going to do?" Allen was momentarily freaked out at being lifted completely off the ground, just long enough for the man to laugh at her and then back hand her across the face, releasing her as he did so. She fell into Kanda, groaning as she fell unconscious.

"Stupid runt!" the man laughed. Kanda growled as he caught Allen, then unceremoniously dropped her to the ground. Mugen was out in an instant, pressed against the man's throat. Though it wasn't nearly as sharp as it would be when activated, it was still threatening enough to shut the man up.

"Don't fuck with me, baka!!" Kanda growled, his tone dangerous.

"What, you concerned about your little runt friend, there?" Kanda's glare intensified, pressing the sword closer.

"I know at least three hundred ways to kill you right now. I could use the exercise. If you want to live, or at least maintain your status as a human, I suggest. You. Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

"Now get the hell out of here!" Kanda snarled, slashing down on the man's fore arm, leaving a gaping wound that would leave a scar for years to come. The man cried out in surprise, falling to his knees, and favored his arm, wincing in pain. Kanda sniffed at him in disgust and swiped the blood of his sword onto the man's shirt before putting it away. He turned back to find that Allen was still collapsed on the ground.

"Che, baka. Can take a hit from level four akuma and keep going, but one hit from a stupid human will knock him out." Kanda remarked sourly, picking up the unconscious exorcist and placing her on his shoulder. He made his way to the _Marie Theresa_, ignoring the stares that he received.

He met Captain Fletcher once he stepped on board, who smiled broadly, seeing the draped body over his shoulder.

"You made it just in time. We're moments away from launching. That's your companion, I presume?" he asked. Kanda grunted passively.

"Could I be shown to the room we are staying in for the trip?" Kanda asked tonelessly. The captain nodded, smiling again.

"I'll take you there myself." Fletcher offered. Kanda gave him an odd look, but accepted wordlessly.

"Hey, Smith! Supervise the launch for me while I show our guests around!!"

"Aye, Captain!!" answered a man with a heavy Scottish accent. The captain waved at Kanda to follow him, then walked to the main cabin.

"Normally, I'd make passengers stay with the crew, but I saw the complications you had with that sailor, and I figured that that would have been a foolish idea. Instead, you will stay in the doctor's quarters. The doctor can stay in my cabin, as she has before." Fletcher said amiably. Kanda said nothing. Fletcher opened a door and looked inside.

"Cynthia? Cynthia!" he called.

"Yes, Captain?" a soft female's voice questioned.

"I have some guests that are going to stay in your cabin, is that okay?" Fletcher asked, opening the door even more to reveal a tall, beautiful woman. She had long, wavy black hair, soft, pale skin and bright green eyes. She looked almost exactly like Fletcher, though years younger. Instead of wearing a typical dress, she wore breeches and a button up shirt.

"Mr. Kanda, this is my younger sister, Cynthia. Cynthia, this is Mr. Kanda. The one on his back is Allen Walker."

"Oh dear!! What happened to him?!" she demanded, rushing around behind Kanda to look at Allen's face.

"He was knocked unconscious by a vengeful sailor." Fletcher said, chuckling softly at his sister.

"Bring him in! Bring him in!!" Cynthia demanded, pulling Kanda inside.

"Lay him on this bed, please." Kanda snorted, but complied.

"You act as though the moyashi were dying." he said derisively. Cynthia fixed him with a hard stare before continuing her work.

"She's like Lenalee," Kanda thought, rolling his eyes. He watched her bustled about, getting cold water from a barrel, a rag and a few other things.

"Well, I think she has it under control here, Mr. Kanda. Shall I show you the rest of the ship?" Fletcher offered. Kanda nodded curtly and followed the much older man out of the cabin. Cynthia watched them walked out and then closed the door behind them. She sat down beside the unconscious Allen, bathing her face and neck. She checked the bruise that was forming on Allen's left cheek, lightly pressing the cloth against the swollen skin.

Once satisfied that Allen was entirely comfortable and she couldn't do anything more to help, Cynthia finally sat back and took a good look at Allen.

"White hair? And that terrible scar! He's so young, too. Poor boy..." she trailed off.

* * *

Woo!! That took sooo long to write. I hope you enjoyed it.

Also...Pity Kanda all you want...XD I know I do.

Review if you want. I'd certainly appreciate it.


	6. Onboard The Marie Theresa

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Hehehehe...Just for those of you who worry about Cynthia Fletcher's intent...You will find out in this chapter.

Thank you to my reviewers: imhappynessinabottle, Dgm-yoai-lover, nanachan87, Kyurengo, SeikaDragon, Belladonna-Isabella, zenbon zakura, SilentKiller1, Nella333, ying9, InfinityOnTheRun, phantomshadowdragon, sarahstoletheworld: I love you guys!! Your comments and thoughts are very much appreciated and very much helpful.

Chapter Six: Onboard The _Marie Theresa_

* * *

Allen awoke to a darkened room, with the dull light from the one window seeping into the room. Looking out said window and by feeling the rocking of the boat, she could tell that they were out at sea and that they had met up with a storm. And from the looks of it, it was a pretty strong storm.

She remembered the last thing that had happened to her, the man's cruel, grinning face before he hit her, tossing her back into something. From then, Allen had no idea as to what had happened. Smacking her forehead in frustration, she realized that Kanda had probably either killed the man or handicapped him in some inconvenient way. And knowing the sour attitude of the older man, Allen had no desire to see the smug look that he would probably have adorning his face. Once more, Allen had proven herself to be weak and easily tossed around. Kanda would love that, no doubt.

Sighing, Allen fell back on the bed from her sitting position, groaning in defeat. She lay there, staring at the ceiling. Unbidden, Allen remembered that she had never finished the file that Komui had given her. She began searching around the room, trying to find a light.

Finally, after a couple candles had been lit, she made her way back to the bed, and began searching for the file. It wasn't especially important that she find it, but it was something to do, and she certainly didn't want to leave the room, because that would mean that she would have the face Kanda.

After spending nearly ten minutes searching, Allen could not find the file. It wasn't in her coat, or in her suitcase. Groaning once more, Allen fiddled with the ribbon around her neck, thinking of what she should do. Timcanpi had disappeared about the time Allen had got off the train, which made her hope that the little golem had made it's way onboard. If Tim didn't...the little golem could always head back to headquarters and await Allen's return.

Allen pouted, realizing that she would most likely have to leave the room. A sudden rumble from her stomach seconded that thought, much to Allen's dismay. She pulled on her exorcist coat, buttoned it, and made her way to the door. An especially large wave smashed into the boat, knocking Allen off balance. She brought her hands up to protect her as she smacked into the door. Groaning yet again, Allen shook her head to clear it, then stood up and tried again. This time, she managed just fine to open the door, walk through it, and then close it behind her.

She made her way unsteadily to the main deck, where sailors were dashing back and forth, tying ropes here, securing boxes there. Kanda was among them, currently holding down a tarp with some difficulty. Allen ran over to help him, pulling it down quickly and holding it as Kanda's swift, dexterous hands tied the rope. Kanda nodded his thanks silently before moving on. A commanding voice rose above the howling winds and crashing waves to give an order.

"Hey, Kanda!! Get the boy off the deck!! Take him to the galley!!" Allen looked up to the direction of the voice. A tall man stood there, fighting with the sea, the ship's rudder control at his hands. His short dark hair was soaked as ocean spray and rain fell on him. His face was strained, but his eyes looked calm as he called out more orders, such cool and calculating, evaluating eyes. Allen watched him in awe for a few moments before Kanda's call sounded in her ear.

"Oi!! Moyashi!! Stop fooling around!!" Allen nodded and followed Kanda to stairs near the room that she had emerged from. As they left the onslaught of rain, the pounding waves that assaulted the ship kept them from standing up straight as they walked down the short corridor to the galley.

"There's food here, as I am sure that you will want to fill that god-awful pit in your stomach. Just try not to eat all the stores here. There are other people aboard this ship." Kanda said emotionlessly. Allen watched Kanda briefly, truly curious. He didn't act at all angry. Or smug. Or even arrogant, for that matter. He just sounded...tired. He partially looked it, too.

These thoughts worried Allen. Was there something wrong with Kanda? Considering the last two encounters that they had had, Allen figured that Kanda would have eagerly given her the most vehement and self-confidence-crushing tongue lashing of her life. But...Kanda just sat down on a bench and sighed tiredly.

"D-do you want something to eat too, Kanda?" Allen asked uncertainly. Kanda flicked dark eyes up at her then back to the table before him.

"Ie, I'm fine." he said quietly. Okay, yeah, this was most definitely weird. Allen watched Kanda briefly before making her way to the fire pit at the far end of the long hall that was the galley. A small fire was slowly dying in the pit, but was brought fully to life quickly with the addition of wood and kindling. Allen placed a pot over the fire to heat up some water. She opened one of the boxes in a corner and pulled out the first thing that came to her hand.

"Ahh! Apples," she remarked happily. Looking over at Kanda, who was slowly falling asleep on the bench, Allen smile fondly.

"Oi! Kanda! You want an apple?" she called, grinning when the stoic swordsman jumped at her voice.

"Baka, I told you I was fine."

"Too bad, eat this!" she said, tossing the apple at him. Ha caught it and glared at her, but took a somewhat timid bite from it.

"Be careful about eating apples from strangers, Kanda," Allen teased, grinning at him again.

"I only wish you were a stranger," Kanda grumbled. Allen chuckled to herself, then began searching through the other boxes, barrels and sacks lying around. She found sugar, flour, salt, fresh water, some unidentified, pickled substance in a barrel in a corner, rum, to her distaste, and salted pork. And then there was the box of fruit that she had pulled the apple from. There was also a somewhat tasty-looking soup or stew hanging to the side of the fire, which Allen put back over the fire to heat up. When she tasted it, it was not as exquisite as she had hoped. From the taste of it, it had too much salt, and needed some sort of spice to give it some more flavor. In other words, it managed to be salty and bland. Allen looked in a nearby cabinet to find just what she wanted. Pepper, paprika, ginger; you name it, it was there. Grinning, she grabbed what she thought the soup needed and walked back to the fire.

She noticed that Kanda was watching her expressionlessly, further worrying her. Truthfully, it was starting to freak her out. She had never seen Kanda acting like he was. He was always defiant, arrogant and all-around rude up until he passed out from an injury, began meditating, or fell asleep.

Allen tended to the soup and the fire, making sure that it would not go out any time soon. The water that she had set to boil was now heated up nicely, so Allen pulled it off the fire a little, so only a small part was staying on the fire. It had to stay heated while she searched for tea to put in it. Unfortunately, there seemed to be more coffee than tea, and the tea was hard to find. Apparently coffee and rum were very popular among the crewmen of the _Marie Theresa_. But Allen did find tea, but only three kinds.

"Hey, Kanda. Do you want tea? There's also coffee and rum..." Allen said the last part teasingly, knowing that Kanda wouldn't want either of the last two. He was a sort of health freak, not eating anything that was unhealthy, preferring to stick to his soba noodles and un-sugared green tea.

"Tea, no sugar." came the emotionless reply. Allen nodded knowingly and then made the requested drink. When it was done, Allen set it aside, then grabbed two nearby bowls and filled them with the steaming soup. Balancing the two bowls and the cup in her hands, Allen made her way precariously over to Kanda, trying to move with the rocking ship so that she would not fall.

"Here," she said, setting down the cup and bowl in front of Kanda.

"It's not your typical soba, but it's something, you know?" Allen said, smiling. She figured that since Kanda was feeling in a "nice" mood, she would be nice as well. It would be good to be civil with each other for once, though Allen was sure that Kanda was delirious with exhaustion. Or something similar.

Kanda accepted the tea, but looked at the bowl's contents skeptically. Allen sighed and took a bite of her own soup.

"It's not poisoned, Kanda. It's actually quite good."

"Che."

Allen looked up sharply towards the door, hearing someone approach with trudging steps. The person stumbled into the galley, coughing and shivering.

"Are you okay??" Allen asked, standing up and walking over to the person. It was a female, just about ten years older. She was shivering, soaked through and cold.

"Ugg...I'm f-f-fine. My broth-ther sent me down here to w-warm up." she said.

"Come over here, then, closer to the fire. I'll serve you some soup, I just heated it up."

"Ok-kay. You're Allen Walker, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"I'm Cynthia Fletcher. My brother is the captain." she said, introducing herself politely, sticking her hand out to Allen. Allen took it and bowed to her, pressing her lips against the back of the older woman's hand, playing the perfect gentleman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, but let's get you warmed up before we continue talking." Allen said, smiling softly.

"Kanda, I saw some spare blankets in the room I woke up in, could you get them for me, please?" she asked, looking at the swordsman, who had been watching. He nodded and stood up, then left silently. Allen sighed, watching the man as he went up the stairs, back into the rain. She grabbed another bowl and filled it with the still steaming soup, then handed it to Cynthia, who accepted it gratefully.

"So, why were you out in the rain, on deck?" Allen asked, stoking the fire to blazing.

"I'm the ship's doctor, so I had to help one of the crewmen. He was thrown into the mast, and that resulted in his arm being torn up. It will take a while to heal, so I told him to come below decks in order for me to help him, but he refused, wanting to be available in case something went wrong and he was needed," Cynthia said fondly, trailing off briefly.

"My dear brother certainly knows how to pick a loyal crew." she said, smiling. Allen smiled in response.

"It's pretty brave of you to be a doctor for this ship. Rather amazing, if I may say so myself." Allen commented, poking the fire with a metal prod.

"Ah, well, not really. I was studying to be a doctor about six months ago, when my parents, whom I had been staying with, died. Ah, well, they weren't actually my real parents, they were my foster parents. They were sponsoring my medical career, and, when they died, I could no longer maintain my studying. My brother saved me from ruin. He is twelve years my senior, and has been on the water since he was fifteen years old. He tracked me down four years ago, and had been visiting me regularly in London, but...Ah! Forgive me, you didn't ask for my life story!"

"No, no! I was interested and, if you don't mind, I'd like to hear more." Allen said, waving her hands. At that point, Kanda came back into the galley, carrying a grey blanket in his arms. Allen took the blanket and placed it around Cynthia's shoulders as she ate.

"Please, continue..." Allen prompted.

"Well, my brother, as I said, visited me regularly in London, trying to make up for the years that he was gone. He didn't have much, except the _Marie Theresa_, and a contract with a shipping company. It didn't allow him much money, but he offered that if I wanted to, I could be with him. I told him that I wanted to finish my schooling as a doctor. He accepted my answer, saying that he was proud that I chose to do so. But, then, six months ago, my foster parents died, and I was alone. Less than a week after that, James came for me, promising me that in a few years, he would have enough money for me to continue my schooling. I was so surprised and happy. I decided to stay with him, and do all I could to help him and his crew out. My brother...He is truly an admirable person." Cynthia finished, smiling fondly at her memories. Allen patted her shoulder, smiling.

"I would say so, Miss Cynthia."

* * *

The storm blew all through the night, buffeting the ship to and fro, but by morning, it had blown it's course and died down. After checking his charts, Captain Fletcher realized that they had been thrown off course by about thirty miles, and it would only be a little while before they were back on course and putting in at Le Havre. The captain was right, and within the hour, there was land sighted to the south.

Allen stood up on deck watching the preparations for docking at Le Havre. Sighing, Allen rested her hands on the railing, staring at the water. She remembered what Komui had said the day before. Budapest was crawling with Akuma. Which meant one of two things: there was an especially difficult Innocence fragment to be found, or the Millennium Earl was taking over the city for a closer base of operations to the European branch of the Dark Order. That second idea was not one to be pleasantly thought about, for it meant that the Earl was getting confident and he had decided to take a bold step forward against the exorcists. Allen glared at the water, her expression dark at that thought. She had known from the start, when Komui had first told them about the mission that it would be dangerous, but the full implications of the mission were finally sinking in.

As for the first idea, about the difficult Innocence fragment, that was infinitely more pleasant to think about. It still worried Allen, though. At any time, the fragment could be found and destroyed. Allen wondered how the Akuma had so quickly taken over the city. Perhaps the Earl had pulled some of his "troops" from other areas and had began to focus on that specific area.

Groaning and rubbing her temples, Allen couldn't continue thinking as she was. It was frustrating her, depressing her, and it would not help to worry so much. She turned around and leaned against the railing, and continued watching the crew run to and fro. Kanda was yet again helping the crew out, this time not wearing his exorcist coat. It had gotten thoroughly soaked the previous night, and Allen had commanded him to leave it to dry off in the galley. And so, Kanda was stalking around the deck, shirtless in the sun. Allen bit her tongue to keep from grinning. The older man's well-toned muscled body glistened with sea spray and sweat as it moved effortlessly, muscles tensing and relaxing. Allen nearly drooled at the sight. The man might not care about beauty or much else besides killing Akuma and his sword, Mugen, but he was flawlessly attractive. Allen was sure that Kanda was oblivious to the looks that he received from women on the street when he walked by. Up until the point when he opened his sarcastic mouth, Kanda was one of the most beautiful creatures to walk the Earth.

"Moyashi! We are going to be in Le Havre in a few minutes, stop screwing around and get our things from the cabin!!" Kanda growled as he walked passed the day-dreaming Allen. She snapped out of it and stuck her tongue out at Kanda as she went to the cabin that they had shared.

Yes, definitely up until the time that Kanda lashed out with that wicked tongue of his, he was quite attractive. But perhaps, his beauty went beyond that point. Perhaps his horrid personality was a significant part of it...?

* * *

Woo!! That was fun...And I did it all so quickly.. I think this is the record for fastest-written chapter so far. I hope you enjoyed it. This wasn't a very action-packed chapter, I know, but it is necessary in order to further the story.

Yes, Kanda really was very tired in the galley-scene, otherwise he would have been a bit more...unpleasant.

Review please..3

((Woo! It's almost my birthday! Scary, scary, I'm turning 17!! It can't be true!! It can't be!!))


	7. Travelling

Nightmare

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Okay, I'm done with the listing of my awesomely awesome reviewers, but will instead just put a very heartfelt "THANK YOU SO MUCH!!" instead. :)

Chapter Seven: Traveling

* * *

After landing in Le Havre, Kanda spared no time in going to the train station, checking for the next train to Paris. Allen followed quietly, still pondering the same as she had been before the boat docked. She turned over the thoughts in her head many times, but could not figure out for what reason that the Earl would want Budapest. The large population of the city would allow for a good production line of Akuma, there was no doubt, if that was what the Earl was after. But Komui had brought up the possible presence of Innocence, and that worried Allen. What if the fragment had already been destroyed? What if there was no fragment? What if it was a ridiculous test set upon them by Komui's superiors?

That last thought caused an abundance of anger and sorrow in Allen. Even after all she had sacrificed, would they really do that to her? Risk her life, and that of Kanda's, who really had nothing to do with the Dark Order's distrust in Allen, just to see how far she would go to prove her loyalty? Keep pushing her until she snapped?

Biting her lip to hold back any violent actions, Allen swiped aside those thoughts. It would do her no good to think that way. A coppery taste coated her tongue, alerting Allen that she had bitten down too hard on her lip. She sucked at the wound, drawing the blood from it, then spat it out onto the ground.

Kanda looked back at her at the sound seeing the blood on her bottom lip as he did.

"What are you, some sort of masochist? You can't go a day without getting yourself hurt or getting someone else to hurt you?" Kanda asked derisively. Allen didn't bother with a response, instead glaring challengingly at Kanda. He rolled his eyes at her and turned back.

"You're going to die at a young age, Moyashi, and I'm not so sure if it'll be someone else's fault." he snorted.

"You can start minding your own damned business at any time, BaKanda." Allen hissed angrily.

"Che, whatever."

They left Le Havre via the train, for once getting on the normal way, instead of jumping on. The two plus hours that it took to get to Paris were spent in silence as Allen sat staring out the window, thinking of Cross Marian and Mana Walker, as well as her friends from the Dark Order.

Kanda also spent the entire time thinking, but not about what one would expect from Kanda. He was watching, discreetly, and analyzing the oddity that was Allen Walker. Watching the emotions flicker in those light grey eyes, Kanda found himself curious as to what went on in the head of the cursed, white-haired exorcist.

They arrived at Paris on schedule, but did not leave the train. The railway they were on would lead them to Strasbourg, on the border of France and Germany, where they would leave the train for another that they would board. For now, they sat in silence, awaiting the train's departure.

"I'm going to get something to eat," Allen said suddenly, "Do you want anything?"

Kanda shook his head in a negative, and went back to his thoughts. Allen left the compartment, not saying any more. Kanda stood up and stretched. Having to sit for two hours was boring and tended to cramp up the muscles. So that they wouldn't get painfully stiff by the time the train ride was over, Kanda stretched ever muscle he could think of.

* * *

As Allen slid open the door to the compartment that she and Kanda were sharing, the train began shifting forward, almost knocking her off-balance. Determined not to make a fool of herself, she planted her feet shoulder-width apart and slid the door open further in order to get inside. She looked at Kanda, who looked completely peaceful (is that even possible?). His eyes were shut, his dark eyelashes brushing his smooth cheeks. His breathing was even and steady, possibly meaning that he was asleep or meditating. Either was possible.

Allen walked into the compartment, then turned around to shut the door. While all her weight was shifted into closing the door, which seemed to be sticking inconveniently, the train jerked forward. Allen gasped as she lost her footing and flew backwards. The bag of food that had been under her arm flew out of her grasp to land on the cushioned bench, safely. Allen was not so lucky, and fell, with nothing but the ground to save her.

Before she got very far in her fall, she was stopped, caught in a pair of strong arms.

"Baka...You really are masochistic." Kanda's voice growled next to her ear. His voice was soft and deep, sending shivers down her spine. Allen opened her eyes, realizing that they had somehow closed in her fall, and looked over at Kanda, whose face was right next to hers. Allen felt a blush creeping into her cheeks as their eyes met.

Kanda shifted his arms underneath her, inadvertently pulling her closer. They were less than a few inches from each other, and Allen could feel Kanda's breath on her lips. She swallowed, her eyes drifting slowly closed as Kanda pulled her closer.

There was a moment of stillness in which Kanda found himself searching the hesitant and yet expecting expression on the face of the person in his arms. Kanda discovered that he actually wanted, yes, wanted, desired, _yearned_ to kiss the white-haired exorcist.

"That's insane!!" Kanda thought, greatly disturbed by the revelation. He nearly dropped Allen right then and there, but then decided against that, instead dropping the Moyashi on the bench. Kanda felt that he could not get out of that room fast enough.

He hurried to the most private place of the train, which was the last car, on the platform outside. Running a hand over his face, Kanda nearly punched himself in pure frustration.

"What the hell was I doing?! What the hell was I _thinking_?!" Kanda hissed angrily hitting his forehead forcefully with the palm of his hand.

"I did not just try to do that to the Moyashi!! The cursed freak that skips around all fucking day, grinning like a moron!! This is insanity!!" ((Someone's in denial.))

* * *

Allen stared at the door, wide eyed, for a good five minutes. She could not get the feeling out of her head, that ridiculously ecstatic feeling of happiness. Kanda had-!! Kanda had tried to-!!

It would be at this undignifying point that any normal girl would have squealed with victory, then jumped up to dance around without a care in the world. Allen, however, was not a normal girl. Masquerading as a male opted her to be somewhat abnormal, in fact.

Instead, Allen only pressed her hand against her lips, where Kanda's had come so close to touching. She had felt his breath on her lips, making them tingle in a quite pleasurable manner. At this point, they were still tingling at the memory.

Something occurred to Allen. And when it did, the implications hit her full force, like a ton of lead.

"Oh God!! Oh God, oh God!! Kanda tried to kiss me!! And-!! He thinks I'm a guy!! Does that mean-?!" Allen's eyes got even wider.

"Kanda is gay!!" she cried, burying her face in the bench in despair. She pounded her fists into the bench in frustration.

* * *

Kanda stayed at the far end of the train for almost an hour, calming himself down and thinking in depth about why he was acting the way he was. There had to be a more logical reason other than the fact that he might be turning gay. For eighteen years, he had remained straight, and had even been able to control his hormones when he hit thirteen, so it was illogical that one weak-minded, cursed, Moyashi had made all that swirl down the drain in a matter of months.

After some serious thought, Kanda realized that not much had changed from his predicament several weeks previous. He still had to find out what it was about Allen Walker that was so attractive to Kanda, who was of the same gender. It couldn't be that Kanda was gay, it just couldn't.

Kanda was finally calm enough to head back to the compartment, hoping that Allen wasn't throwing a fit. Much to his surprise, when Kanda opened the door slowly, he found that Allen was curled up on the bench, almost exactly where Kanda had set the Moyashi down, sleeping. Sighing in relief, Kanda sat down across from Allen, intending to also sleep for the remainder of the train ride. To his misfortune, Kanda had looked at Allen's soft face, and immediately felt his heart sink.

Allen's cheeks were wet with thin trails of salty liquid, and small tear droplets clung to dark eyelashes.

Kanda felt as though he needed to punch himself in the face. Repeatedly. Instead, he groaned softly and reached over to wipe away the tears from the moyashi's face. Unless the kid had had some tragic event happen to him in the past hour, other than having the older man try to kiss him, Kanda knew it was his fault.

"Damn it, I am not going soft for this cursed brat." he growled, leaning back into his seat, closing his eyes and trying to relax. To his dismay, he could not, because he felt like he was being watched the entire time.

* * *

When Allen heard someone approach the compartment, she knew that only one person would be trying to get in. So she pretended to be asleep, hoping desperately that her hair would cover her tears. Or perhaps the oh-so observant Kanda would not notice.

She listened intently to his padding foot steps as he walked to sit down on the bench. Sounds of the bench shifting under his weight filled her ears as she tried desperately to remain calm and keep up the appearance of sleep. Which entailed calm breathing and restraining oneself from jumping up and running for the door; not an easy feat.

Allen's ears perked when she heard a soft groan, and it took everything she had not to twitch, jump up, punch Kanda, and run for the door, when his fingers brushed against her cheek. His fingers seemed to linger near her mouth, which only served to freak Allen out even more.

There was no doubt that Allen liked Kanda. She didn't exactly want to admit it, but she knew it was true.

What she heard next made her freeze, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she was afraid that Kanda would hear.

"Damn it, I am not going soft for this cursed brat." she heard Kanda say, his voice so full of frustration and denial, as he leaned back in his seat. Allen's grey eyes slowly opened until she was staring wide-eyed at the attempting-to-sleep Kanda.

After ten minutes of staying like that, Allen's brain finally caught up. She immediately proceeded to mentally, silently freak out.

When she was finally calm enough to think straight, the first thing she acknowledged was that she would act as though nothing had happened. It was the best idea, considering that once she brought it up, not only would it be immensely awkward, but she would end up saying something about Kanda being gay. Kanda would retort that he was not, in fact, gay, that Allen was the one who made the first move, that she must be gay. Then Allen would probably bring up the fact that she wasn't gay, she couldn't be because she was in fact a girl. And then all hell would break loose. Kanda would flip out and get pissed off. Allen would probably cry. And so on.

That was not something that she would want to happen. So it was best to act as if it never happened. From the looks of it, Kanda was in denial and would not readily bring it up.

Allen watched the steady rise and fall of Kanda's chest, not-so-surreptitiously. His normally immaculate pony tail was slightly mussed up, but that was understandable. Kanda probably hadn't had peaceful, relaxing sleep since before they left the Order.

"Poor Kanda, I have a feeling that this trip won't be easy on him. He probably likes that though, the freak." Allen thought, suppressing a giggle, "He certainly knows how to keep himself on edge, though. On edge, alert, and arrogant."

After a moment of staring at Kanda's finely shaped, bunched-in-a-frown eyebrows, part of the obvious scowl on his face, she vowed silently to herself to try to make the rest of the trip easy for Kanda.

"It may result in sacrificing my pride for his sake, but my pride is the least of my problems. I only have to keep my secret safe." she thought, smiling.

* * *

They arrived in Strasbourg on time and departed from the train at 3:40 in the afternoon, according to the train station's wall clock. Allen was carrying the still untouched food that she had bought before leaving Paris station. She pulled out an apple, and, as she took a bite, glanced over at Kanda. He was leaning against the wall, putting distance between himself and Allen, who was sitting on one of the many benches at the station. After a moment of watching him, she began blushing furiously, remembering the events on the train.

"Nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened!!" she thought fervently.

"Ehhh...Kanda?" she asked hesitantly.

"Nani, baka."

"Speak English, please, Kanda."

"Che. What the hell do you want, idiot??"

"Ehhh...Are you hungry? I have food here. It's not soba, I know, but...It's still something to keep your energy up. And it's healthy!" Allen said, smiling weakly.

"Che. You're so annoying."

A pause...

"Is that a yes?"

"Hn."

Allen eyed him for a few minutes, arching an eyebrow.

"Fine, damn it!! Just stop pestering me!" Kanda sighed in frustration, walking over and sitting down moodily on the bench, albeit as far from Allen as he could while still on the bench. Allen smiled happily and held the bag out to Kanda.

"There are three apples left, four meat pies, five carrots, seven pastries, and some sandwiches. There are three varieties of sandwich: white bread with sliced turkey, wheat bre-" Allen suddenly discovered that it was hard to talk when she had the apple that had, at one point been in her hand, shoved in her mouth.

"Che. Urusai."

"Ang-ph, mrreeph, Angdza."

"English, Moyashi," Kanda mocked, rolling his eyes. Allen grinned, chewing on the piece of apple that had broken off in her mouth.

"Hai, Shishou." Kanda twitched, hearing his own, beautiful language being butchered by a British accent.

"Never. Do. That. Again." he threatened, glaring at Allen.

* * *

Ohmygosh!! Is...Allen flirting with Kanda?? Did I just make her do that?? O.O

How weird. XD

I hope that you enjoyed it. I figured that this would be a good place to stop for now..

I think my heart is going all mushy for them acting like this...Oh no!! My heart will disappear in a pile of mush!! Oh, please, help me! ((Hehehe.))


	8. The Troubling WhiteHaired Boy

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Warning: Lots of references to Allen as being male through Kanda's point of view.

Chapter Eight: The Troubling White-Haired "Boy"

* * *

Allen was sitting peaceably on a bench in the train that they had boarded about twenty minutes ago, listening to the happy chatter of other passengers. At first, they had been on a list to have a compartment of their own, but all the compartments on the train had been taken, so they settled for regular seating. At least, Allen had. Kanda had threatened the stewardess into a panic attack, trying to "convince" her to get them a separate compartment. Allen had been forced to pull Kanda away from the frightened woman, focusing the older man's wrath on her. She supposed that it would be better that Kanda go ballistic on her than on the general public. At least she could deal with Kanda's vicious punches better than most. Lavi seemed more immune to them, but it probably came with practice. Allen had no desire to deal with that kind of practice.

In the end, Kanda had stalked off with a flip of his long pony tail, growling angrily in Japanese. Allen had apologized to the woman a great many times, explaining Kanda's anti-sociality and short temper. The stewardess had given a squeak and scurried off, mumbling about angst-filled teenagers.

Allen found herself becoming more and more tired as she sat there, and soon, her eyes slipped closed, putting her in the dreaming world as she leaned against the window, snoring ever so quietly.

* * *

Kanda leaned against the railing at the back of the train, watching the scenery zip by. It was a great deal more peaceful, in spite of the wind that whipped his hair into his eyes and face. He found that he would much rather relax there than inside the train, where he would have to listen to the irritating talk of the passengers.

Kanda stood there for several hours, until the sky began to get dark. Flipping out the packet watch that he had bought a few years ago, still in good condition in spite of the battles between then and now, Kanda checked the time. It was nearing eight o'clock, so Kanda figured that he had better make his way back to the Moyashi, to make sure that some ridiculous catastrophe had not occurred to the boy.

He found the Moyashi sleeping on a bench, snoring lightly. Kanda quietly sat down across from Allen, being careful not to bump the sleeping exorcist, even though he knew that nothing short of screaming bloody murder would wake the boy up.

The Japanese teen noticed that Allen's mouth was open slightly, small breaths being inhaled and exhaled from it. Kanda reached his hand forward, gently pushing his jaw up, closing the soft, pink lips.

Something, some bubble, or string of bubbles, of restlessness crawled up through Kanda's body, taking control of his actions. His thumb softly stroked Allen's bottom lip, his rough, calloused skin brushing against the soft, full, pink skin. He cupped the side of Allen's face with the palm of his hand, silken tendrils of white hair brushing the back of his hand.

"Mmmmm...Kanda..." Allen mumbled, barely audible over the sounds of the train and the people inside it. His breath against Kanda's wrist was more than enough to snap Kanda out of his reverie.

Kanda snatched his hand away, his heart pounding. He quickly looked around to see if anyone had seen, or had been paying attention to the scene, but there didn't seem to be anyone. It was almost unpopulated on this end of the car, to Kanda's relief. He looked back over to where Allen was still sleeping to see that his fast movement had knocked Allen over on his side, on the bench. Kanda thought for a moment about leaving the Moyashi as he was, but decided against it.

Kanda reached over to Allen and put one hand under his chest to push him back up. His hand met more...padding that Kanda had expected. For a moment, Kanda almost panicked, but then decided that Allen was probably just wearing a lot of clothing. He did have on his exorcist coat, that black vest, the white shirt underneath, and who knew what else.

"Damn you, Moyashi," Kanda thought, clearly unsettled by the reaction that Allen brought out of him. It was odd, but Kanda had the feeling that he was coming to terms with the...feelings that he had. It didn't mean that he was okay with them, but he felt that he could understand them, if only in the slightest.

When the train pulled into the station at Munich, Allen still would not wake up. Kanda had even gone to the extent of punching Allen, but still, he remained asleep. Kanda groaned and hoisted the younger teen onto his shoulder and carried him off the train, earning a few odd stares. Dropping Allen on a bench, Kanda made his way to the station's ticket place, where he hoped to get some information about the next train.

"Bitte?"

"Ja kann ich Ihnen helfen?"

"Sprechen sie Englisch?" Kanda asked, trying out the German that he had learned from Lavi, praying on Lavi's life that he had not been taught wrong.

"Nien."

"Ahhh...Wo…wenn der folgende zug für Wien tut, kommen an?"

"In zwei stunden."

"Danke shern."

"Bitte shern."

Kanda walked off, replaying the conversation in his head. "In zwei stunden," the man had said. That meant, if Kanda remembered correctly, "In two hours." So he just had to wait for two hours. That wouldn't be hard, seeing as the moyashi was sleeping, and would not likely wake up any time soon.

Kanda made his way back to the bench where Allen lay. He sat down next to the sleeping boy, ignoring the shifting that Allen was doing in his sleep.

He sat there, not thinking, for a good ten minutes before he started fidgeting. All too quickly, Kanda had become bored. He debated on leaving Allen where at the station in order to go explore Munich, but that prospect did not hold many exciting points. In fact, it tended towards the things that Kanda did not like. Such as large crowds, loud people, people in general, and...Well, that was about it, but it was enough to cause Kanda to rethink. Instead, he settled for sitting silently.

Kanda glanced over at the Moyashi to see that Allen's beloved cards were sticking from his coat pocket. Kanda plucked the card deck from the pocket and removed them from their case. He began shuffling through them, sharp eyes analyzing each card. On all the aces, there was a scratch mark on either the top right or bottom left corner, for the kings and queens, there was a rip on the bottom right or top left corner, and so on. Kanda immediately caught on; the Moyashi cheated. Kanda nearly chuckled at the thought, but retained his stoic demeanor. He had never seen the Moyashi play, but with such a system, he was sure to kick some hefty ass at poker.

Kanda continued shuffling through the cards, trying to see if any other signs appeared on the cards. Kanda really could not blame the little fool, after all, he had heard of the Moyashi's lecherous, debt-mongering, fool of a master, General Cross, and a few of the things that Allen had been subjected to. Considering such a past, the Moyashi was lucky to come away with the vices that he had.

"Oi, what do we have here?" a voice asked a few feet from Kanda. Kanda tilted his head to look coldly at the offender of his peaceful thoughts.

"Looks like this guy likes his cards." another voice said, this time at Kanda's side.

"You any good at them cards, eh, son?" the first said.

There were three people standing near Kanda, all three older men, smelling of sewers and alcohol, and other such unpleasant things. Kanda wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smells assaulting his senses.

"Care to take your stench else where?" Kanda growled threateningly.

"Hah!! The boy's got an attitude!! How cute!" the third man sneered. Kanda narrowed his eyes in annoyance, glaring up at the men, his hands frozen in mid-shuffle.

"He sure is pretty for a boy." The second man said, leaning in closer to grin at Kanda with browning teeth, what little of them there were present in that mouth.

"I'm sure you are quite into cute little boys, but I must insist that if you do not leave me be this instant, you will leave this station missing more than just your manly pride." Kanda threatened.

"What a mouth!!" the first man cackled.

"You wanna exercise your ability with them cards, eh, boy?" the third man asked, leering. Kanda's eye twitched in disgust, but he decided that, for sake of ridding himself of boredom, he would play with the bakas.

"I'll deal." Kanda said, surprising the other men. They blinked momentarily, then all three broke out into the same, sickening grin.

"Okay, boy."

An hour later, Kanda, based on Allen's silly little system, the hands of the others, and their looks, won twenty hands out of thirty five. This was the final game, and the other men had steadily lost their money to the fiendish swordsman.

At first, Kanda had tried to ignore the system of cheating that the Moyashi had on his cards, but after losing several times, and getting sick of it, as well as nearly losing all the money on him, Kanda resorted to the cheating system for a while, but soon it became purely instinctual. His dexterous hands fooled the three other men, allowing Kanda to deal some of the crappiest hands possible. Sometimes he would lend them a bone and give them relatively good cards, in order to prevent them from getting suspicious. Kanda also refrained from always using the highest cards to win, sometime just using the simpler cards. All in all, it was rather fun for Kanda, watching the other men sweat and squirm under pressure. It was all he could to from grinning evilly.

Sometime, he figured, he should take on the Moyashi to see how the little fool cheated. Or perhaps set up Lavi to play against Allen in order to observe.

Kanda racked up his winnings from the last hand, after having laid down a royal flush to the dismay of the idiots across from him. Sickened by their defeat, the three men stood up suddenly.

"Alright, boy. You're gonna give us back our money, or you'll suffer for it!!" the first man growled brandishing a knife in Kanda's face. Kanda eyed it mockingly.

"I'm frightened."

Kanda unsheathed Mugen slowly, then pressed it against the knife-weilding man's throat.

"Want to try that again?" Kanda asked. The other two men watched Kanda's blade for a moment before rushing him.

"Grab 'is sword!!" the second man yelled grabbing for Kanda's waist, intending to over-power the clearly smaller man. Kanda was quicker, though, shooting the hilt of his Mugen into the man's stomach, lashing out his right foot at the same time, aimed at the third man's face. Both were solid hits, allowing Kanda to skip away from them, preparing his sword once more. While the other two men were groaning in pain, the first man jumped at Kanda, knife leading. Kanda nearly laughed in his face.

"Against my Mugen, you wield a little knife. You are a fool." Kanda hissed, knocking the knife from the man's grip. He slapped the flat of his blade against the side of the man's face, drawing a thin line of blood in the middle of a reddening welt. The man growled and charged Kanda, thinking to over-power him. Yet again, the feat did not work against the experienced swordsman. Kanda sliced a line down the man's chest, then punched him in the face for good measure.

By this time, the other two men had recovered, and had already taken measures to turn the fight in their favor. One had grabbed the sleeping Allen from the bench, arm wrapped around his small neck. The other was pressing a rather large dagger to Allen's stomach.

"Boy, you'd better stop where you are or this little kiddy's gonna get it." The man with the dagger threatened.

"Do what you will. But just remember, regardless if you off the Moyashi or not, I will kill you." Kanda said calmly, dangerously. The two men surveyed him cautiously for a moment, trying to see if Kanda was bluffing. The cold, steely glint in his coal-black eyes betrayed none of the anxiety he was feeling at that dagger pressing into Allen's stomach. And the stupid men believed him.

It was like the card game all over again. And Kanda just had to make sure that his hand was better than that of the men over there. His hand twitched, begging to unleash a vicious attack against the men, but Kanda knew he had to refrain. One quick thrust was all it would take in order for the Moyashi to be sent into a painful oblivion.

Kanda's mind worked quickly, trying to think of a plan to deal with the stupid men. A groan from behind and beside him alerted him to the awakening of the first man. Kanda took a quick step back and to the side before grinding his boot into the man's back, holding him down. Mugen was just as quickly pointed down, digging it's sharp tip into the man's unguarded neck. The other two men chuckled.

"Looks like were in a stalemate, boy."

"Not hardly. I told you, I don't care about that Moyashi. Do what you will with him." Kanda said.

"But are you so willing to sacrifice your own companion for a few measly bucks?" Kanda continued, sneering at the other two men. Kanda felt the man below him shift, then saw the eyes of the other two shift down briefly to glance at him. An almost unnoticeable nod from the idiot holding Allen did not get past Kanda, alerting him to the plan that the three silently concocted.

Based on their positions, probably what would happen was the man under his foot would try to unbalance Kanda, possibly knock him to the floor. Then the man holding the dagger to Allen's stomach would rush Kanda, dagger leading. As a finale, the three would steal their money, kill them, and then run before anyone spotted them.

"How clever," Kanda thought sarcastically. And just as Kanda predicted, the man beneath him tried to grab his foot. Instead, Kanda jumped away, aiming a kick at the man's head, sending him back into unconsciousness. The dagger-man charged Kanda, probably hoping to still catch Kanda off-guard. Unfortunately, Kanda saw him.

He punched the man in the gut, doubling him over. Kanda then cracked his elbow down on the back of his head. Kanda miscalculated and ended up hitting the tendon in his arm. He winced at the sharp pain that ran through his arm to his fingers, but continued what he had been doing.

Kanda kicked the dagger from the man's hand in time to look up. The man holding Allen was now holding yet another blade to the Moyashi, this time to his throat.

"Damn these Germans and their blades!" Kanda cursed. He rushed the man, pulling the knife away from Allen's neck, but not before a cut had been laid on the white skin. Growling, Kanda pulled Allen out of the man's grasp before punching the man directly in the face three times.

"Goddamnit!!" Kanda hissed, favoring his arm and hand.

"Worthless fucking Moyashi!!" he growled again, setting Allen down on the bench. He checked the Moyashi quickly, making sure that nothing too serious had happened. Other than slight bruising on his neck from the rough handling of the man, and the nick a few centimeters from his corroded artery, Allen was fine, to Kanda's relief.

"Masochist even in his sleep..." Kanda said softly, wiping the blood from the Moyashi's neck.

* * *

Aww!! Kanda's all mushy..XD

Not much of Allen...but hey, we like Kanda, ne?

I hope you enjoyed it...And I know you all want Kanda to find out about Allen's secret...But it will happen in due time.

Please have patience...((By the way, Allen's asleep the entire time, okay? Just so you know.))

But if you want more awkward moments, blushing Allen, and Kanda-in-denial moments, then just ask.

I will happily provide:3


	9. Vienna, Austria

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Chapter Nine: Vienna, Austria

* * *

As they arrived in Vienna, Kanda was yet again forced to carry the sleeping Allen, to his great frustration. He had tried quite a few times to awaken the Moyashi, but as with every time previous, it failed miserably.

Kanda was almost ready to kill the white-haired exorcist out of sheer frustration and anger when he dropped the Moyashi on the ground outside Vienna train station.

"Cursed brat!!" he snarled, poking Allen's side with the toe of his boot.

"Wake up already, you worthless piece of-"

"Excuse me, sir. Do you need help?" a small voice asked behind Kanda, sounding slightly worried. Kanda slowly turned around to face the owner of the voice.

"Che. No." Kanda replied haughtily, glaring down at the person before him. It was a small boy, dark black curly hair, grey-green eyes, dark olive-colored skin that reminded him disturbingly of a Noah's skin. He looked dignified, but curious.

"Ehh...Lo- Uhh...Master Simon. We should head-" a tall woman began, standing behind the boy.

"-It's fine, miss Sanosa. Everything is fine here. This man is an exorcist. I have heard of your faction, mister...?" the little boy, Simon, questioned, trying to incite a response from Kanda. Said exorcist narrowed his eyes skeptically in response.

"Kanda."

"Mister Kanda. And your, uhh, unconscious associate, there?" Simon asked politely, ever bit the gentleman he looked. In fact, he looked like someone fairly important. He was probably a few years younger than Allen, possibly twelve or thirteen years old. He wore a black suit jacket over a very prim and plain white button-up shirt. Of course, to say that it was plain was somewhat of an understatement. The white shirt was clearly silk, but lacking any frivolous design, though undoubtedly expensive, well above the price of what a commoner could afford. He wore white pants that retained none of the dirt of the streets, and black polished boots. His mop of curling black hair was delicately arranged to appear messy, and yet sophisticated. This child was nothing short of nobility.

"His name is Allen Walker." Kanda said, tempted to kick said boy again out of sheer -still present- frustration.

"Aahh. Misters Kanda and Walker. Would you permit me to give you a ride to wherever you may need to go?" Simon asked, bowing slightly. Kanda narrowed his obsidian eyes again.

"I believe that we are just fine." Kanda replied, clearly suspicious. A certain chill up his spine told him that this boy was not normal. Not someone to be trusted. It was a brief feeling, but Kanda had long since learned to trust such feelings.

"Oh, please, Mister Kanda, I insist!" the young man insisted, smiling softly. Kanda relaxed his expression with some difficulty, then nodded.

"To the Rhine docks, then." Kanda said, picking up Allen with a great lack of gentleness.

"Ahh, you honor me, Lord Exorcist." The boy said, smiling still.

"Master Simon, the carriage is just over here," the woman, Sanosa said. She led the way, Simon following, with the Allen-burdened Kanda taking the rear.

Kanda knew that there was something up with this child. Not very many people, even royalty, knew about the Dark Order, or the exorcists. Not even people working under the Vatican knew the existence of the Akuma-fighting Order. Unless this boy was direct royalty, associated with the Vatican quite closely, or unless he had had dealings with the exorcists before, he should not know. Unless...He was a Noah, or an Akuma. Whatever the reason, Kanda felt obligated to know. Kanda knew he could face a Noah and most-likely win, but not without great sacrifice. And with Allen unconscious and/or sleeping, doing it would be all the more difficult to do. In other words, Kanda was in trouble if this boy was of the Noah Clan.

If the boy was an Akuma, it would be easy killings. And given that the boy had not immediately attacked upon seeing the exorcist coat and emblem, it was most likely a level two or three. If it were a level four, Kanda would have as much difficulty with it as he would with a Noah, if not worse.

Anything was possible in this situation, and so the swordsman kept his sharp mind open to everything, analyzing every detail, watching the boy's every move.

* * *

The third-level Akuma known to the humanity as Simon Richard Knowles the Fourth could hardly contain its laugh as it walked delicately towards its awaiting carriage. The Human Exorcist's distrust radiated from his entire body, and the Akuma knew it's game was up. But, knowing stupid exorcists as it did, this exorcist would protect his companion at all costs, therefore, he would not attack just yet. The level three figured that he would order the carriage to be taken away from the city, knowing the exorcist would not complain, because his job would be to destroy the Akuma. But, his death was imminent. The level three was very close to leveling up; it could taste the cache of power on the other side of that line. It would crush the life of the sleeping exorcist, level up, then rip the second exorcist limb from limb.

The white-haired exorcist, Allen Walker, would be a prize indeed. He would cut his head from his body and take it to the Earl himself in return for a great reward. A great reward in addition to leveling up to the fourth level. It was a wonderful plan.

He sent a silent message to his underlings as the two exorcists stumbled into the carriage to take them away from the city. An acknowledgement was sent back to it almost immediately, so obedient were its subordinates.

The carriage jerked forward, pulling off the side of the street towards the middle of the street, moving forwards at a leisurely pace.

* * *

Kanda pushed Allen off of his shoulder for the fourth time during the carriage ride which seemed to take longer than what should have been necessary to take the two to the docks, but Kanda knew better. The intended final destination was not the docks. His fingers itched to pull Mugen out and slice all four people around him, Allen most likely among them as well.

He sincerely felt like beating the hell out of the Moyashi, until a great deal of blood was spilled. That stupid cursed eye of his was supposed to appear when Akuma appeared, but nothing happened. Were the brat's energy levels just too low? Had he not been eating enough to keep his Clown Innocence and cursed eyes active? Or were these people not Akuma? Did the stupid Moyashi's eye not work when he slept?

All these questions and more went through Kanda's head as he listened intently to everything, keeping on guard, determined not to get caught unaware. Kanda was nothing if not prepared.

He watched the little boy suspiciously as he maintained that serene, almost smug expression on his smooth, boyish face. It was beginning to irritate Kanda that they remained to inactive, suspense building in his mind, making his muscles tense in preparation to slice the child's head from it's shoulders at a moments notice.

Allen's head fell on Kanda's shoulder again, nearly making the swordsman jump out of his skin. Yes, the boy was starting to earn some serious beatings for the future. Kanda put a finger on the Moyashi's forehead and started to push him away when he noticed that both blue eyes –no, one blue eye, one black and red eye covered by the Akuma-sensing eye piece- were both open wide, staring into Kanda's own eyes. Those eyes looked confused and questioning.

_What's going on?_

Kanda arched an eyebrow, looking pointedly at the present eye piece.

_Akuma, baka._

Allen's eyes immediately showed understanding, then another question that Kanda could only translate as:

_What do we do?_

Kanda rolled his eyes and ran his hand over Allen's, shutting them.

_Continue pretending to sleep, you'll know what to do, baka._

The Moyashi allowed himself to be pushed back into his original position, and Kanda searched to see if anyone noticed the interaction. Amazingly, no one had. Foolish Akuma, Kanda couldn't help but think.

* * *

Allen awoke, feeling her left eye aching dully, and opened her eyes. She was facing Kanda's shoulder –she could tell by the dark coat and silver cross before her eyes- and they were both in a carriage. She could sense Akuma surrounding them, making her heart jump to a new pace. She wondered if Kanda realized that they were surrounded by Akuma, and more than just the four in and around the carriage. They were following the carriage, just about one hundred feet away at the farthest. There were right around forty level ones, a level two, and then the level three right across from them.

She assumed that she should remain "asleep", but she had to get Kanda's attention to let him know that she was in fact awake. Waiting until an appropriate bump came along, Allen would fall into Kanda's shoulder and alert him. The expression on his face said that any unexpected and sudden touch would earn her a punch or two later, but that was okay as long as they got out of this situation quickly. The bump came and she bumped into Kanda. She could feel his sudden twitch and had to hide a grin. His finger poked her forehead, but then he noticed her stare.

_What's going on?_

Kanda arched an eyebrow, looking pointedly at her left eye and the present eye piece.

_Akuma, baka._

Oh. So he knew. Okay. She gave him another questioning look.

_What do we do?_

He rolled his eyes at her and ran his hand over her face, successfully closing her eyes. Okay, so she would continue pretending to be asleep. The advantage of surprise, eh? Allen went back to her original position and waited, deactivating her eye piece so that it would not attract attention.

To keep herself occupied, she counted the total number of Akuma present. There were forty two outside the carriage, plus the level two leading them. Then there were the three level one Akuma in the carriage, one steering the horses, one inside across from Kanda, and one hanging on at the back of the carriage. And then, finally, there was the level three straight across from Allen. The cries of it's trapped soul were muffled in Allen's ears, letting her know that the Akuma was close to leveling up to level four. Possibly one or two, maybe three, kills and it would reform itself into a very formidable opponent for them both.

A level two was somewhat difficult to kill, three or four blows to kill. A level three was quite a bit more difficult, but with Allen's Crown Clown, it would be dead in a few minutes, if she didn't use her Exorcism Sword. If she did, even less time. As for a level four...That would be much, much harder. It would take everything that Allen and Kanda had to defeat it.

The level four that had been part of the force that attacked the Dark Order had required four generals, technically five, since Allen had already reached critical, or breaking, point, Lenalee, Kanda, Allen, of course, and Lavi. It might have been easier if Lavi and Kanda had been able to weild their weapons, but they had been crushed in the Battle of Noah's Arc, rendered rather useless. Nevertheless, Lenalee's Innocence's evolution into Crystal-type Innocence had made up for Lavi and Kanda's lack of Innocence-imbued weapons. They had given it their all, and it still managed to take out the vast majority of the science department, even after all the destruction caused by the initial force.

Kanda and Allen were somewhat stronger now, as compared to then, but they could not risk allowing that Akuma to level up. It would probably mean their deaths, even if they fought with everything they had.

* * *

Holy Cow. I finished that pretty quickly. I'm sorry it took so long...but I got hit by a fairly irritating case of writer's block. I had another version of chapter nine written, but I got so far, and could not go any further. So I was forced to write this chapter to go in a completely different direction. And it worked! I started this last night, in between watching episodes of D. Gray-Man ((I have up to episode 94!! Muahahaha!!)) and I finished it this morning. I hope that you enjoyed it...It's not that interesting, but the next one will have a nicely written battle scene, and then the beginnings of a boat-ride, methinks. :3 Review, please.


	10. Trip To The Public Bathhouse

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

I had better get some good reviews for this. It is over ten pages on Microsoft Word, and took five days to write it. (Not to mention a lot of agonizing moments when I was utterly stuck and thought I would explode.) Enjoy. : ) Oh yeah...Excuse the cheesy chapter title...I could not think of one that fit. And, last but not least, thank you to the six who reviewed. I am very touched..and happy. : )

Chapter Ten: The Public Bathhouse.

* * *

Allen felt the carriage come to a shuddering halt and fought the urge to open her eyes. She felt Kanda move beside her. Time seemed to move so slowly as she heard Kanda unsheathe his sword. The next thing she knew, she was flying through the air. She snapped open her eyes and immediately searched for Kanda.

All she could see was a blinding light, and then a strong force slammed into her, threatening her consciousness briefly. Allen felt something snake around her waist as she suddenly began dangling in midair. She coughed at the smoke that surrounded her in the air and searched the cloudy remains of what was once a carriage for Kanda.

Another explosion, with much less force sounded to her right. There was Kanda slicing through a few Akuma.

"Kanda!!" she cried, seeing the level two aim it's weapon at the unsuspecting swordsman. He whipped around in time to slice the bullet in half, then charged the level two. It was dead in a matter of seconds, to Allen's relief. She knew that Kanda could very well take care of himself in almost any situation, but she still worried.

Kanda finished off another four or five Akuma before Allen was able to break her gaze from him to finally wonder why she hadn't hit the ground. She grabbed the thing holding her around her waist and tugged, but to no avail. She was suspended above the ground by some sort of rope.

"Lord Exorcist, don't struggle, please," a robotic and melodic voice said behind her. She twisted her neck to look at the level three. It was a writhing mass of limbs, tentacles, and other...things that Allen did not care to identify.

"Eeeghhh." Allen said in disgust. She activated her left arm, the black claws glinting in the late morning sun.

"Cross Grave!!" she cried, sending the attack to her captor. She knew it would not do a lot of damage to the Akuma, but it would give her ample time to slice through the thing wrapped around her waist, holding her. The Akuma screamed with rage at the slicing of it's body, as well as the exploding attack of the Cross Grave. Allen fell thirty feet to the ground, wincing as she hit, and then rolled to absorb the shock. She got up running to avoid any attack that might be sent her way. Allen glanced behind her to look at the level three Akuma.

It looked rather pissed at having it's kill taken, but also determined to get it back. Allen fully activated Crown Clown, the white fur gathering around her neck and the mask appearing at the top of her head, and prepared to take down the level three.

* * *

Kanda sliced through another Akuma, it's poisonous blood spraying into the air and falling back down like crimson rain.

"My favorite type of rain..." Kanda thought sadistically. He launched from the dying body of the Akuma just before it exploded, sword cleaving another Akuma in half not seconds later. More of the blood fell to the ground, spattering Kanda's clothes, hair and face. He plowed through another three or four, kicking off of the last of them and doing an expert back flip before landing on the ground.

He didn't spend anymore than a few seconds on the ground before running towards another batch of Akuma, roughly ten or eleven of them. He jumped into the air and all that was heard was the ring of his sword, metal clashing against metal, the spattering of blood on the ground, and the explosion of the Akuma.

"Che. Too easy," Kanda spat, wiping blood from under his eye. He looked at where Allen was fighting the level three with some difficulty, already sporting some wounds. Sighing, Kanda approached where the two were fighting. Allen would probably bitch if Kanda interfered, so he would wait until the Moyashi showed some serious signs of trouble.

Apparently, the Akuma had some power dealing with electricity or something, never mind the some of the sharp limbs that struck out. Allen was having difficulty avoiding the limbs or tentacles imbued with electricity to get at the vital center mass.

Kanda listened, with a pained wince, to the scream that rent the air as one specific, spiked, electric tentacle hit Allen, wrapping around the Moyashi's unprotected right arm. Spikes shredded his skin, another crimson rain falling to the ground before Kanda. Bolt after bolt of electric power shot into Allen's body, and he screamed in pain again. Kanda sighed, taking that as his cue to jump in. Unfortunately, Allen spotted him.

"Kanda! DON'T!!" he yelled angrily, wiping blood from his bottom lip. Kanda glared, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Try to make me, baka Moyashi!" Kanda growled in response, drawing Mugen. He slid his fingers on the side of the blade, drawing the sharp edge.

"Mugen...Activate!" Kanda growled.

"KANDA!!" Allen screamed, a vein popping out in his neck. Kanda ignored him, jumping into the air to strike.

"Goddamn it all to hell, Kanda Yuu, LISTEN TO ME!!" the Moyashi screamed desperately. As Kanda approached the writhing mass, five sparking tentacles shot out, stabbing into Kanda's chest and limbs, electrocuting him. He grit his teeth against the immense pain, after all, he had fought against Skinn Bolic and won, so this wimpy Akuma couldn't be any different...Right?

* * *

Allen watched Kanda approach as she took the last hit.

"No...Damn it, Kanda stay over there. Deal with the last eight Akuma!" she thought angrily, "I got this one! I just need a few more minutes!!" A spiked tentacle wrapped around her arm in her distraction, cutting into her skin. A scream burst from her lips unexpectedly as blood showered the ground beneath. She clenched her jaw until she saw Kanda's hand slip to his Mugen.

"Kanda! DON'T!!" she yelled as she wiped blood away from her face. Kanda glared at her, and shot back, " Try to make me, baka Moyashi!" Allen could scream in frustration as she watched him draw Mugen. She had wanted to kill this Akuma on her own, not only to save it, but so that she would be the injured one and Kanda would be just fine when the last few Akuma came out of hiding to strike.

But no, the stupid, _stupid_ swordsman only saw her getting her ass handed to her, and had to defeat the Akuma and tell her that she was a failure. Typical Kanda. Normally, she wouldn't mind...much. But this had a purpose. She was not a masochist like the Japanese man thought. Everything she did had a purpose.

Allen would not waste her life on some meaningless crusade. She had made a promise -no, a _vow_- to Mana, her adoptive father, that she would always keep walking, until the day she died. She would not waste her life or break her vow.

Kanda activated his sword, but Allen didn't hear his words as he drew the edge of his blade.

"KANDA!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. This could not be happening, this could not be _happening_! Allen had discovered early on that direct attacks to the center mass would not work. The limbs and tentacles were too close and too fast to be able to avoid. It was certain failure.

" Goddamn it all to hell, Kanda Yuu, LISTEN TO ME!!" she screamed, feeling tears rise to her eyes. She watched in horror as five sparking limbs and or tentacles shot out to strike Kanda's body. Allen bit back a gasp, clenching her jaw.

"Cross Grave!!" she cried, piling three or four of the explosive crosses on the central mass of the Akuma. The tentacles writhed at the inflicted pain and they all retracted into the ball, the Akuma screaming angrily. Kanda fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Kanda! Kanda, are you okay?!" Allen demanded, landing near him and running to his side.

"Shut up, Moyashi. Your voice hurts my brain." Kanda groaned, wiping blood from his mouth. Allen punched him in the back of the head in frustration.

"Damn it, Kanda!! Listen to me once in your stupid life!!" she sighed, kneeling in front of him, holding his shoulders.

"I have a plan. You just finish off the last of the Akuma, okay?" she said, looking Kanda directly in the eye. Kanda glared at her, shrugging her hands off.

"Don't touch me, Moyashi." Kanda hissed. Allen sat back on her heels briefly watching Kanda sadly as he wiped away more blood from his face.

"BaKanda," she said softly before standing up and walking back to face the severely pissed off Akuma. In truth, Allen really didn't have a plan, more like a basic idea. She would fight the thing until it died was about all that she could think of. Cross Grave seemed to have a good effect on the thing, but not good enough. Her Clown Belt would help as well. She couldn't use her Exorcism Sword, unless she planned to throw it, seeing as she didn't want to get stabbed and electrocuted, like BaKanda had.

"Clown Belt!!" she cried, directing the belt to capture as many limbs as it could. The belt split at least fifteen different ways as she called out, "Cross Grave!!" Another three or four of the crosses attached to the central mass. Allen dove forward, right after her crosses exploded, black claws bared.

"Edge End!!" she cried, striking at the writhing Akuma. It screamed angrily and reached out a few tentacles at her.

"Mugen!! Saiyaku Shourai; Kaichu Ichigen!!" Allen looked up in surprise as Kanda's Hell Insects attacked the Akuma, eating through the tentacles aimed at Allen, and hitting the central mass of the Akuma.

"I am not going to sit around and watch you get your ass kicked, Baka!" Kanda yelled at her, a vein sticking out in his forehead. Allen sighed.

"Fine, BaKanda. Do what you will," Allen mocked, striking out at the writhing mass before her again.

A few more hits and the Akuma was destroyed, to Allen and Kanda's relief. Allen fell to the ground, breathing heavily, coughing. The last few blows that she had landed had made contact with electrified limbs, giving her quite the shock. She was fairly sure that her heart would never beat the same again after all the electricity having passed through it.

"Are you okay, Kanda?" she asked breathlessly, inspecting her shredded arm.

"Che. Pay attention to your own wounds, Moyashi."

"Ahh, in that case, you wouldn't happen to have a first-aid kit on you, would you? I could rather use one." Allen asked, a faintly shameful smile on her face.

"Che, Baka." Kanda huffed, pulling a roll of bandages from his pocket. Allen gave him a weird look, but gratefully took it.

"Thanks, BaKanda." she said as she took off her exorcist coat to begin bandaging her arm. Unfortunately, having to use her mechanical-like hand made it difficult. Groaning after three tries, Allen looked up at Kanda, who was scanning the surrounding area for the afore-mentioned Akuma-in-hiding.

"Ehhh..Kanda?"

"What?!" Allen winced at his harsh tone.

"I...I need help. Please?"

"Che. Baka." Kanda said with a bit more than just irritation. He kneeled next to her and grabbed the bandages from her left hand. He carefully rolled up the remains of the sleeve of her white shirt, stained with blood, until it was clear of the injured area. His fingers were tender as he cleaned the wounds as best as he could without any proper medical items.

"Ehh...Here." Allen said, pulling a handkerchief from her left pocket and handed it to Kanda. He took it from her and wiped away as much blood as he could.

"O-Oi, Moyashi." Kanda said, his voice tense. Allen looked at him in questioning curiosity at the tone in his voice.

"What Kanda?"

"You have pentacles growing on your arm." Kanda said warily. Allen stared at her arm in surprise.

"Huh. That Akuma must have hit me pretty good..." she said, trailing off. She watched the pentacles briefly before closing her eyes.

"Innocence..." she thought, willing her Innocence to cure her of the Akuma's poison. It listened and her entire body glowed briefly before the pentacles disappeared from her skin.

"See? It's fine." Allen said, as if urging Kanda to continue bandaging. Kanda gave her a look, one that Allen couldn't read at all, and carefully wiped away at the blood. When he was done, he began wrapping her arm, still being gentle as ever. His fingers brushed against a wound at one point, and Allen made a soft grunt at the pain. Kanda froze briefly, shooting a –concerned?- look at Allen's expression before continuing. He finished wrapping her arm and secured the bandage. For some reason, his hand remained on her arm, a light touch just above the wounds.

Allen watched his face, but his eyes were covered by his hair.

"Kanda?" she asked quietly. Kanda looked up at her, eyes devoid of emotion.

"What?"

"N-Nothing. Ehh...Are you hurt? Do you need to be tended to?" she asked, averting her gaze.

"No." came his emotionless reply. He was about to stand up when he heard Allen's gasp. Her eye piece was activated, spinning wildly.

"They are right on top of us, Kanda!" she hissed. Kanda whipped out Mugen and drew it's sharp edge, already prepared. The Akuma came at them from all sides, not even bothering for a suspenseful wait. Their guns immediately began firing, the loud blasts deafening in such a small area. Allen called upon Cross Grave to take out half of the attacking Akuma while Kanda sliced through the other half. It was over in a second, without any more injuries to Allen or Kanda.

Allen winced as all the Akuma exploded simultaneously, the concussion force shaking the ground beneath them.

"May your souls rest in peace," she thought, eyes closed. The cries of the Akuma ceased, and a sense of relief seemed to take over the atmosphere of the battle ground. More innocent souls put at rest; it was a good day in Allen's book.

"Well, that was over quick." she said, scratching the back of her head.

"Che," was the only response she got. Rolling her eyes at Kanda, she began walking back towards the town, Kanda following silently.

"Oi. Moyashi!"

"My name is Allen!!"

"Don't ever call me by my first name, unless you want to have your tongue cut out."

"Sure, Kanda."

It took fifteen minutes to get back into Vienna, and then another ten minutes to navigate through the city's streets to get to the docks. They found that they had two hours and forty-five minutes before the boat left to head to Esztergom Unfortunately, a great deal of people were disturbed by Kanda being splattered with blood, so Allen had to explain to them that it was her blood and that Kanda had helped her.

"Kanda, we need to get rid of the blood on you, and soon. I'm sure that not everyone believes my story. There is just too much blood on you." Allen said, looking pointedly at the blood that was clumping his hair together.

"I think we'll go to a bath house and get cleaned up." she said, leading the way from the docks towards the city center. Soon enough, she found a building labeled as a public bath house. She almost had to drag Kanda in, who looked at the building with suspicion and distrust. He allowed himself to be taken in, though, and then directed towards a private bathing room. Allen followed, but asked for her own private bathing room near Kanda's.

Allen went into her own room, locked the door, and immediately stripped off her exorcist coat and shirt. She had felt the chest bindings coming loose ever since she had woken up, and had tried her best to keep them from coming undone completely. She unraveled them quickly and dropped them next to her shirt. They would be left out and washed separately from her clothes. She grabbed a towel that was sitting on the counter next to her and wrapped herself in it.

Next, she took of her boots and socks, placing them next to her shirt. She took off her pants and dropped them on her pile of clothes. Gathering them all up, she walked over to the door and unlocked it. While she was bathing, she would have her clothes and boots washed clean. She quickly found an employee of the bath house.

"Excuse me, can I get these washed? And, I have a companion who needs his clothes washed as well. Can you come back to room 24 in a few minutes? I'll have them then." Allen said as politely as she could. The employee, a female a few years older, flushed at her cute demeanor and nodded.

"It's no problem, sir." she said, smiling flirtatiously. Allen flushed in response, but only in embarrassment. Even out of her clothes, wrapped in a towel, she was taken for a male. Allen figured that to be a good thing, considering that was her goal.

She walked up to Kanda's room and knocked on the door gently.

"Kanda? Kanda, can I come in for a moment?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. She was about to go into a room with Kanda, who was probably fully unclothed by now, wrapped up in a towel, such as she was. Only...Allen had more to hide with her towel. Luckily, it was a very thick and fluffy towel and would hide her feminine figure pretty well. By the time Kanda answered the door, her cheeks were burning, to her great dismay. When she saw Kanda, she thought she would faint. There he was, in all his glory, waist wrapped in a fluffy towel, chest bared. His wild tattoo took over the left of his chest, little tendrils of black reaching up to his left arm.

"Ehhh...I need your clothes. I-I mean-! To get them washed!" Allen stammered, unable to look away from Kanda. Blood still showed in his hair, but he had removed his hair tie, and the black, silken tresses stood out against his pale skin. Kanda narrowed his eyes at her, but turned away to grab his clothes.

Admittedly, Allen had seen Kanda shirtless before, hell, the man rarely even wore a shirt under his exorcist coat, but nevertheless, it always left Allen breathless and stammering. Combined with the fact that Kanda was wearing nothing but a towel, Allen's thoughts had nowhere –appropriate- to go.

Kanda dropped his blood-stained clothes in Allen's awaiting arms, turned around and slammed the door shut in her face. She sighed and went back to her room to await the girl who would take Kanda's clothes. The girl finally came a few minutes later, smiling at Allen.

"These are my companion's clothes. When they are done being washed you can deliver them to room twenty-three." Allen said, handing them over. The girl smiled at her, then turned and walked away, a slight bounce in her step. Allen rolled her eyes and went back into her room. There was a large bath tub on the other side of the room, which Allen nearly skipped over to. It felt like it had been a long time since she had been able to take an actual bath, instead of showering in a small cramped space. Though, the last time she had taken a bath had been in Portsmouth. Nevertheless, it felt like a long time ago, and it would feel good to be able to relax in the hot water and soap suds.

* * *

Kanda stared at the water beneath him as it slowly filled up the bath tub before him. He didn't really want to take a bath, but the hot steaming water looked too inviting to pass up. He was tired and sore from days of traveling a great distance without the necessary amount of sleep, not to mention the stressful interactions with the Moyashi. And so, instead of the normal washing of his hair and whatever else needed to be bathed, Kanda would fully immerse himself in the steaming waters.

He trailed his fingers in the water, testing it's temperature. The multiple bottles and packages surrounding the bath tub were filled with liquids and small balls of powder, as well as what looked like little rocks, that he could only assume as being bath salts. He had been to public bath houses in Japan, as well as hot springs, and had visited them frequently, but he did not know much about how they were operated or what ever it was that was done with them. However, he did know something about the things that one would put in a bath to increase the healthy properties, improve skin health, hair health, and other such things.

Truthfully, they were faintly pointless things to know in his line of "work", but Kanda found that one would remember some of the most pointless things at the most unnecessary of times, or just remember things that were utterly unimportant that one could never remember where or when it was picked up.

Kanda went through the scents of the liquids first, and found that none suited his taste. They were all too feminine. The fact that he even looked at them with consideration disgusted him to no end. Kanda pushed all the bottles, vials, packages, etc., into a pile near the bath tub and covered them with his towel with a flick of his wrist. He climbed into the hot water, his eyes fluttering shut in the sensation of the hot water lapping at his skin.

((_Why_ does this feel like a porno?? WHY?? 'Cries'))

The shower water at the Dark Order was nowhere near considered hot, a possible luke-warm temperature, and so taking a shower there was not relaxing. At all. Especially since Kanda's own room did not come with a private bath. He had to go to the communal showers, much to his displeasure. He had been tempted on many occasions to ask for another room assignment, but had no desire to ask Komui. The twisted man would probably find something much worse, God forbid his room end up near the Moyashi's or Lavi's. Kanda would rather shave his head, or worse. And he dearly loved his long hair, though he would never admit to such an attachment. It was a tradition in his homeland for men, true, honorable men, to have long hair.

Speaking of his hair, Kanda remembered that it had been liberally splattered with Akuma blood. He grabbed a small vial from the pile that he had moved away from the large bath tub, a vial that was labeled "unscented shampoo" (to his relief), and poured an appropriate amount in to the palm of his hand. He dipped his head back, fully soaking his hair in the hot water, then pulled his head back up. He dabbed his fingers into the liquid and then rubbed it into his hair, listening to the suds as they were formed and then popped under his fingers. Soon all of his lower-back length hair was soaked with the unscented shampoo, bubbles popping next to his ear as he rubbed more shampoo into his scalp.

The water felt very good as he completely submerged himself to rinse out the suds from his black hair. His fingers massaged the locks carefully, running his fingers through them to get rid of any snarls or knots. Kanda rubbed at the water on his face as he rose from the water, getting the now-soapy water away from his eyes.

A small, soft wash cloth awaited his use on the edge of the tub. He pulled it into the water and soaked it through before scrubbing gently at his face.

((Oh yeah...this is awkward. ...You can deal with the scene ending there...You just know that he continues washing his smexy body.))

* * *

Allen gazed at all the bottles and packages in awe. It was..._heaven_! There was lavender, jasmine, mint, wild orchid, some very odd, wood-like scent called Teak, and so many other scents!! As she smelled them all, she noticed a theme to them.

Obviously, it was very natural and very much relaxing, but there seemed to be something else to it that she couldn't figure quite out. Regardless, it was wonderful.

First, she wanted to use the amount of water she had in the tub now to wash herself, to get rid of the grim, sweat, and other such things before taking an actual, relaxing bath. She used the lightly scented shampoo, so that, while she wouldn't smell openly feminine, she could at least enjoy a brief whiff of scent whenever the wind shifted. Kanda wouldn't likely notice, so that was okay in her book.

It didn't take long for her body to be sparkling-clean (though that could have been the water sparkling in the candle light, she thought), so she let out the water and then refilled the bathtub. She chose the Teak and jasmine from the bath salts and put a small amount of both in the palm of her hand and mixed them to see what their combined scent would be. She figured out that it was indeed mouth-watering and made her want to inhale the scent for the rest of her life.

She poured some of each bath salt into her water, running her feet over the rough texture of the little rocks at the bottom of the tub. It would take a while for the salts to fully dissolve, so she would just sit and enjoy the hot water. It was nice to just sit and relax like that; a nice reprieve from having to be on edge every second of the day.

After about half an hour of relaxing, there was a knock on the door to Allen's room, and then a voice announcing that her clothes were waiting in a nicely folded pile outside her door. She had already hand washed her chest bindings, as well as the bandages that Kanda had applied to her arm, and they were currently hanging up, drying near the door. Allen called a grateful reply to the person who delivered her clothes and swished around in the water a few more minutes before standing up from the bath tub and wrapping herself in her towel.

Allen wandered over to the door, water from her hair dripping down her back and absorbing into the fluffy, white towel. The air wasn't as heated as the bath water had been, so it was chilling against Allen's water-heated skin. She opened the door and leaned out the door to grab her clothes. She noticed that Kanda's clothes were in front of her door as well. They had not delivered them to Kanda himself? Sighing, she brought them into her room, thinking to take them to Kanda herself.

She dried herself off and checked out the wound on her arm. It was still throbbing, but it was only a dull ache, nothing compared to how it had hurt when it had been first been inflicted. She bathed it a little in the remaining water before tenderly drying it off, then, as best as she possibly could, re-wrapped it in the bandages.

Looking mournfully at the failed attempt of the bandages, Allen decided that she would get Kanda to re-do it for her. She was fairly sure that she could get him to do it. After making sure that it wouldn't come off any time soon, Allen began wrapping her chest.

She had been noticing just how much harder it was getting to keep her swelling chest hidden recently, and knew that soon she would no longer be able to keep her gender identity a secret. For the past few months, Allen had been thinking of ways that she might reveal it to everyone, and though sometimes she felt very confident that she could do it, other times the very idea scared her half to death. Soon, though, she would have to let everyone know. She knew that Lavi would gladly stand beside her, stand with her and be her support when she did, but she was still very much afraid of everyone's reactions. Especially the sour, antisocial humbug known as Yuu Kanda.

She finished dressing and took the towel and wrapped it around her head. Her hair was still dripping wet, so she had to dry it off. Allen ruffled her white hair with the towel, attempting to absorb all the water from her hair into the towel. She finished off by brushing her hair until all, or at least the majority, of the knots in her hair were gone. A spare droplet of water dripped on her nose, sending a chill through her body at the sudden and unexpected contact.

Allen gathered Kanda's neatly folded uniform and walked out the door, bidding a heart-felt good bye to the wonderful bath tub. She walked over to Kanda's room and knocked on the door. After waiting nearly a minute, she knocked again, this time a bit louder.

Again...There was no response. She knocked again, calling Kanda's name.

"BaKanda! Open the door, already!" she whined, sighing a little. But there was no response.

"Could he have left?" she wondered.

"But, I have his clothes right here! He wouldn't run out...Ehh...without his clothes!" she argued with herself.

"Kanda! Hey, open your door!!" she cried at the door, earning a few odd looks from other customers. Grumbling, Allen tried the door knob to find that it was not locked.

"Okay, Kanda, I'm coming in!" The room was steamy and hot, making Allen uncomfortable in her layers.

"Kanda?" she asked, closing the door behind her. She set his clothes down and turned to face the room. She saw that the bath tub was occupied. By a sleeping Kanda. And filled to the brim with hot water.

He was-!!

Kanda...was...in the water.

Kanda was in the water...with no clothes.

Kanda was in the water, naked and...Sleeping?!

* * *

Holy cow!! That took sooo long to write. I hope that you all decide to review...Otherwise I won't feel obligated to forego spending all my time in getting my D.Gray-Man episodes and doing my summer homework assignment.

((My school starts up again in less than three weeks!! 'sobs' I'm scared! I'm in my final year of high school!!))


	11. Blushing Maiden

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

GOMEN NASAI!! I lost my inspiration about one day after I updated last...and it took me forever to regain it. AHH!! 'cries' Forgive me!!

Okay, I just want to say, those of you who reviewed for the last chapter made me really happy. I was ecstatic for almost ten minutes afterwards. : ) I also showed my best friend, xXAngelicScarsXx, all the reviews I received...And she says that she officially loves you guys : ) And I love you guys, too!! You make me so happy. Thank you for your reviews.

Oh...And to Rune Alchemist Kaori: I am not entirely sure why she would be hiding her gender...'Sweat drops'...But...Perhaps the reason could be that she had to hide her gender while with Cross, so that the perverted man would not try to molest her..? Not that I think he would...But we all know how General Cross is. Or perhaps that Cross did not want to receive suspicious looks by traveling with a little girl, while having the reputation of a womanizer. People might look down upon him, you know? : ) Who knows...It is just amusing to write. Not to mention a challenge. And all good writers need a challenge.

Chapter Eleven: Blushing (Not Quite A) Maiden

* * *

_Kanda...was...in the water._

_Kanda was in the water...with no clothes._

_Kanda was in the water, naked and...Sleeping??_

Allen stared at the flowing black hair for a full minute, in total shock, before her cheeks erupted in a heated blush. Only one sentence was permitted existence in her head; "Oh my god, he's naked! Oh my god, he's NAKED!" She swallowed nervously, determined to act completely normal, though she continued freaking out inwardly. She looked away from the sleeping face, lips pressed in a thin line, at the clock. It presented the time as being close to six o'clock in the afternoon.

"Shit!" she exclaimed loudly, dropping Kanda's uniform. Her yell was loud enough to shock Kanda out of his sleep, making him sit up suddenly, looking around the room quickly in surprise.

"What the fuck, Moyashi?!" he demanded, fighting with his instincts to try to cover himself. Allen blushed furiously again and tried to stammer an excuse.

"I-I...Uhh...You were...I came in to...Sleeping...You wouldn't...I-I-I-!!" She backed up into the door, staring in horror at Kanda's well-defined chest and stomach. He managed to keep anything below his waist covered by shifting closer to the wall of the bath tub, trying to hide the uncomfortable blush on his own cheeks.

"Turn around at least, Moyashi, so I can get out. Why the fuck did you scream like that?" he growled in somewhat well-hidden embarrassment. Allen turned around swiftly, burying her face in the door. Her forehead thudded against the door as she heard Kanda stand up from the water, splashing sounds making his actions evident. The wet slap of a foot landing on tile sounded in Allen's ears, and then the ruffle of a towel.

"I...I came in...to bring your clo-clothes to you. B-But you were sleeping...And I looked at the time...And it's almost six o'clock. Our b-boat leaves i-in ten minutes." Allen said, mumbling at the door. She heard Kanda curse vehemently in Japanese, she assumed it was, and the slap of wet feet approached her.

"Hand me my clothes, baka Moyashi." he commanded.

"S-stop calling me that! I ha-have a name!!" Allen said, trying to sound assertive, but failing miserably in her embarrassment. Kanda snorted at her.

"Say that without stuttering, and I might consider it, baka."

"Get your own damned clothes then!!" Allen yelled angrily, frustrated by Kanda's teasing. She turned around and kicked the pile of clothes away from her, looking up to glare hatefully at Kanda. But, unfortunately, she failed.

Kanda was in that towel again, his chest and stomach bared, covered in water droplets that shined in the light. Her breath caught as she gazed upon him, her eyes going wide in awe, anger forgotten. The towel was wrapped around his slim hips, tucked against his pale, perfect skin. It hung on his hips, showing the first few inches of his lower stomach, in all it's muscled glory. Her eyes traveled up a thin, barely visible line of hair to a water-adorned "six-pack", then up to soft skin taut over ribs and more muscles. His chest was well-toned, something for any man to be envious of, and for any woman to desire to touch. The dark tattoo stood out in sharp contrast, an odd, but somehow suiting, addition to Kanda's worship-worthy body.

His ebony hair clung to his upper body wetly, standing out against the pale skin. His neck was tense, as was the rest of his body (when is Kanda ever _not_ tense?), making the tendons stick out. His strong jaw was clenched, adding to the severe expression that forever adorned his face. Those dark eyes were narrowed at Allen in suspicion, alerting her that not only was she staring at Kanda; she was staring with her mouth parted in surprise and Kanda was fully aware of it.

Allen swallowed nervously, and closed her mouth, but could not break her gaze from the sight that was before her. She pressed her body harder against the door, fighting against the urge to jump Kanda right then. Not only would it be inappropriate, but Kanda would likely murder her, or worse.

Kanda glared at her, his pride keeping him from picking up his own clothes. No, Allen could see it. Kanda was going to make her pick them up, one way or another.

For now, the awkward staring contest would ensue. And for a few minutes, it did. Allen felt like groaning in defeat, and falling to Kanda's will, if just to get rid of the awkward and tense atmosphere, also to get the almost-naked glory before her dressed before she did something she would regret, but she also had her pride.

Suddenly, unbidden, her vow aboard the train to Strasbourg appeared in her mind.

_"It may result in sacrificing my pride for his sake, but my pride is the least of my problems. I only have to keep my secret safe."_

"Damn it!" she thought in annoyance, "But the jerk has had plenty of rest!! He slept in the damned bath tub! That's rest enough!" The sudden pout on her face caught Kanda off guard, making him furrow his eyebrows in confusion and narrow his eyes. The look was almost utterly adorable, in Allen's opinion, which caused her to give a sudden look of horror.

"Did I just-?? Think of Kanda as...adorable?!" she thought, horrified. Kanda gave her a look that clearly said he thought she was insane, and Allen wasn't sure if she could argue.

Allen broke eye contact with Kanda to look at the floor in shame and defeat. She shuffled over to Kanda's clothes and picked them up.

"Here.." she muttered, before heading back to the door.

"I will wait outside for you."

* * *

Kanda narrowed his eyes at the closed door. The Moyashi was acting...weird would be an understatement. Kanda looked at the clothes in his hands. He really hadn't expected for the Moyashi to give up so easily, but given the almost pained expression of hidden desire that so unsettled the unshakable swordsman, Kanda was glad that the cursed boy had given up. He had been momentarily fearful of the glint in Allen's eye that screamed want and desire.

Kanda swallowed and shook the thoughts from his head. The point was that the Moyashi had given in to him, another example that Kanda was stronger, in will and much more. ((Kanda's ego just received some steroids. Hehehe.))

He got dressed quickly, not bothering to cover his tattoo with the bandages just yet. He buttoned his exorcist coat, then tossed the towel onto the pile of bottles in the corner. He left the room, looking for the Moyashi, who was leaned up against a wall, a sorrowful expression on his face.

"Oi, Moyashi, you said that the boat leaves soon. Hurry up." Kanda commanded, pushing the Moyashi in front of him. Allen didn't even bother to respond, let alone glare in response. Kanda narrowed his eyes. Was he really going to give up that easily? And let Kanda walk all over him? Kanda sniffed derisively and vowed to pester the hell out of Allen until the Moyashi responded. But how could he do that without seeming out of normal behavior?

Kanda thought up of many ways to annoy the Moyashi as they headed to the docks,a nd when they reached there, Allen walked straight up to the place they had arrived at a few hours previous.

"Has the ferry heading to Esztergom left yet?" he asked. The man gave him a weird look.

"Son, that ferry left an hour ago." The man said, arching an eyebrow at him.

"What?!" the Moyashi demanded, shock evident in his voice.

"We were told that it didn't leave until six o'clock!"

"Sorry, son, but you were told wrong."

"W-Well, when does the next one leave?" the Moyashi asked, looking frustrated.

"Not until tomorrow morning, son." The man informed, sounding slightly apologetic. The Moyashi slapped his forehead in frustration and thanked the man through gritted teeth. Kanda was slightly enjoying the Moyashi's frustration, forcing his aloof expression back on his face to keep the grin away.

* * *

Allen got a hotel room, grumbling the entire way up to the room. She was not entirely sure of all of what passed from her complaining lips, but Kanda did not seem to notice or even care. He looked thoughtful, which gave his face a slightly peaceful (for Kanda) expression. Allen did not pay much attention to that expression, lost in her own thoughts of complaining and whining. The mission was being delayed at every turn, and somehow, she felt as though Kanda would suddenly whip around and give her _that look_. The look that told her that it was her fault. The one that she received all the time when something went wrong.

Allen cursed that look every moment of every day. It was a vindictive look that stirred up Allen's anger, making her want to introduce her fist and Kanda's feminine face. Allen growled for a moment, drowning out her complaints briefly.

She opened the door to their one-night hotel room, shuffled over to the bed, and collapsed face-first onto it. She was not especially tired, but she just did not feel like being awake for much longer, so she forced her body and mind to fall asleep. Quickly enough, it worked; sending her into dreams of her favored foods from the Dark Order's cafeteria.

* * *

Kanda arched an eyebrow at the shuffling mound of misery as it made its way to the closest bed in the room. He had not had the chance to torture the Moyashi, as he had planned, but there was always tomorrow.

He did not have the desire to sit and watch the Moyashi drool over his pillow and mumble about mitarashi dango for the next few hours, so he left the room, but not before sneaking the key from the Moyashi's pocket. Not like he would need it.

Kanda really did not have much on his agenda for walking the city, other than getting information about Budapest and the on-goings of the possibly Akuma-controlled city.

One source, an elderly lady, pushing sixty years, most likely, told him that her oldest grandson had left to Budapest a few days previous, but had not sent word of his safe arrival, or anything. This in itself was not suspicious, but Kanda would not dismiss it lightly, either.

Another woman, at least twenty five years old, told him how, two weeks ago, she and her brother had been traveling to Budapest to visit their father, but they had been stopped and attacked by "monsters", barely able to escape.

A forty year old man told Kanda that some visiting noble-man and his two children were visiting Vienna for a month, nobles by the name of Knowles, and they were lived in Budapest, though British in origin. Kanda recognized the name as the boy that he had killed this morning. It was no surprise to him.

Many more told him of sighting of suspicious monsters in the hills around Budapest, and the crime-rate and murdering of innocents rising in the past two months. It was all Kanda needed to know that Budapest was indeed a new center for the Millennium Earl and his freak-family, the Noah Clan.

He made his way back to the hotel after a few hours of questioning and information-gathering. The information was useful, allowing him to begin formulating a plan of infiltrating the Akuma-controlled city without being noticed or attacked. If they were attacked, it would certainly mean their doom. If one level-three Akuma had several dozen level-ones to follow it, then the city would be a death-trap.

Kanda slid the key in the lock of the hotel room door and listened to it click as it unlocked. He quietly pulled out the key and opened the door. He was not surprised to find that the Moyashi was still sleeping peacefully, having only shifted a little to wrap his arms around the pillow. The puddle of drool was minimal on the pillow, having not even dribbled off of the pillow itself, only soaking into the stuffing.

Kanda rolled his eyes in exasperation and ignored the heap of sleeping, cursed, Moyashi, to go straight to the other bed in the room. But one thing nagged at the back of his mind.

The stupid moyashi was fully clothed, shoes and all, sleeping.

"Baka..." he sniffed. He walked over to Allen's sleeping form and not-so gently flipped him over to unbutton his exorcist coat. The Moyashi grumbled in his sleep, clutching the pillow tighter.

"Don't...touch...it's my dango...Stop it." he muttered sleepily. Kanda snorted and rolled his dark eyes again and removed the coat, with the same lack of gentleness as before. The Moyashi's grip on the pillow was disturbed, and the pillow wrestled from his hold. He whined audibly and grabbed the next closest thing. This was, to Kanda's dismay, the sour swordsman.

Kanda glared at his new attachment and tried to pry him off. But the Moyashi was stronger than Kanda had accounted for. It was a death grip, through and through.

Glaring intensely, Kanda wrestled with the smaller teen, growling curses under his breath. He finally stopped struggling and just sat on the edge of the bed, glaring dully at the wall. The Moyashi pulled him down a little, and when he finally stopped moving, Kanda found that his face was not even a full inch from the Moyashi's own face. Soft, warm breath ghosted over Kanda's lips and cheeks. He stared in surprise at the sleeping face.

"Mmmm...S' warm..." he mumbled below Kanda. Kanda blushed a little, his cheeks only tinting in the slightest. He reached a hand up to brush a strand of hair out of the Moyashi's face. The cursed freak was right...It was a bit warm now.

He stared at those soft, pink lips that moved ever so slightly when Allen breathed. Those lips looked too moist, too soft, too inviting for any good to come of any action Kanda would take.

Kanda decided that, since the little white-haired, walking curse had seen him sleeping, in the water, completely naked, that the boy owed him. And so, without hesitation, Kanda pushed himself further into the Moyashi's grasp and pressed his lips against the Moyashi's. At first, it was a simple, chaste kiss; but those lips held too much temptation in them. Soon, Kanda's long-fingered hand was exploring the soft-skin wonderland of the Moyashi's neck and face while his tongue tasted the sweetness of the Moyashi's soft, moist lips.

When Kanda was done with seeking his revenge, he was a little too hot under the collar. The Moyashi had long-since relinquished his grasp around the swordsman's waist, and so Kanda escaped to the other side of the room, where his bed awaited.

He grunted in an attempt at passive behavior, but to him, it sounded...sexual, which made him prefer to remain silent. He realized that one hand was still fisted around the fabric of the Moyashi's coat. He tossed it aside with a quick snap of his wrist, looking at it with disgust. The swordsman's own coat was tugged off quickly, and then folded neatly and placed on the side table next to the bed.

Kanda quickly kicked off his boots, then laid down on his bed, eager to begin some calming meditation. Anything to get the feeling of soft skin and softer lips off of his mind.

* * *

Ahhh!! It took me so long...T.T...I am truly sorry. But the last part...Kanda seeking his revenge...is my way of apology. Please...please forgive me?

Review if you please...I would appreciate it.

'Cries hysterically' I am such a disappointing writer!! Evil writer's block, EVIL!!


	12. Strength

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

All of the reviews that I have received make me so happy. I feel loved. But, I must say, I start school VERY soon...and so updates may be far and few in between. I apologize for that in advance.

Chapter Twelve: Strength

* * *

Allen awoke from peaceful dreams about sweet foods and warm foods to the sound of shower water running. She sat up, looking around the unfamiliar hotel room.

When did they get a hotel room? Where were they? Where they in Budapest already?

Events of the previous day came rushing to Allen's mind, causing her to blush heavily. Her eyes grew wide and she covered her face in embarrassment.

Kanda...naked?

"Ahh!!" she screamed, falling from her bed to bury her face in the carpeted ground, curled in a ball of excessive embarrassment. The water sounds coming from the bathroom stooped and the sounds of rushed covering-up met Allen's ears before the only other door in the room, aside from the entrance, opened swiftly.

"Moyashi?!" Kanda demanded, towel wrapped around his slim hips, hanging low and showing a toned, muscled stomach. Allen peeked up from the ground briefly before burying her face again.

"Go away!!" she growled, reminding Kanda that he was, once again, almost completely naked in her presence again. The door slammed shut, leaving Allen in peace.

Even though she had only looked up for a second, Kanda's image was burned into her mind.

Skin steaming with the heat of the water; droplets adorning the pale expanse of his chest and stomach. Hair clinging to a toned upper body; face flushed from the heat. Steam rising up and away from his body. Towel sloppily secured around his waist, revealing the small curve of his hips, and the sloping muscles angling down and in.

Allen took a ragged breath and fully collapsed on the floor, her body slowly heating up from the exposure to the godliness that was Yuu Kanda. All she could do was stare at the floor a few inches from her face in an awed stupor.

He really was beautiful in a great many ways. His long, determined stride; those dark eyes that felt as though they could pierce one's soul and capture one's heart in a single gaze; his straight, black, silky hair. Pale skin that any woman would envy and desire at the same time. A deep voice that made feminine knees go weak. A well-trained and well-toned body that moved with the grace of a dancer and struck the killing blow with great expertise.

His honor, his pride, even his wicked and biting tongue; everything that made Yuu Kanda who he was- godly and magnificent- was beautiful and desirable. It was no wonder that Allen felt the way she did about him.

Sighing, Allen finally got up off the ground and wandered back to her temporary bed and grabbed her exorcist coat. She looked at in suspicion, wondering how she had taken it off the night before. She certainly did not remember taking it off. Arching an eyebrow in curiosity, she dropped the coat back on the bed.

Her clothes had become rumpled while she had been sleeping, so she pulled off the dark vest and placed it on her exorcist coat. Her white, button-up shirt was wrinkled and bunched up at the front; quite an unsightly ensemble in all.

Allen straightened her shirt, pulling it out from where it had been partially tucked into her waist-band before carefully tucking it back into place. She felt through the shirt to see if her binding was okay for another day, which it pretty much was, except for a few spots that she had to adjust through the shirt. She untied the bow for her red ribbon and pulled it off, stretching it taut to rid it of any wrinkles, then re-applied it around her neck and retied it. Her vest was only rumpled a bit, nothing that shaking it out a few times would not deal with.

Soon, she was fully dressed, minus her exorcist coat, sitting on the edge of the bed. Boredom overcame her as she waited for Kanda to finish his shower, so that they might continue onward to Budapest. She wandered over one of the windows of the room and gazed out onto the street. The window sill made a good arm rest after she pulled up a chair to stare out, her feet pulled up onto the chair, arms folded one on top of the other, her chin resting on her arms.

Grey eyes glazed over in deep thought. She wondered about her secret; how much longer she could keep it, who would find out if she tried to continue to hide it. What would everyone say? What would...Kanda say? Would he hate her?

Allen laughed aloud, tears pricking her eyes, thinking, "He already does hate me! What am I thinking?"

She bit her lip, worry evident in her grey eyes. What about Lenalee? Or Komui? Reever, Johnny, Jerry, Miranda...Crowley...Marie...Cross? What would they think? That she had lied for so long...Lied to all of them. She felt horrible for it. She would not blame them if they rejected her. It was not as if it had not happened before.

A tear threatened to escape from her eye, but it was viciously attacked by Allen's curled hand, smearing it over her eye. That tear's threat threw her out of her sorrow and fear, reminding her that she would be strong. She would be strong for herself and strong for the vow that she had made for her dear adoptive father, Mana Walker.

And if she were to get rejected and hated for the lie, it would happen on her own terms, and she would be ready. A small part of her mind wondered; "Why not now?"

"Now?" Allen murmured aloud.

"Tell...everyone now...?" Well, not everyone. Just Kanda. Because, obviously, he was the only one there. But, maybe it would be better to just let him know. Right?

Maybe...just maybe, Kanda would not be disgusted, maybe...he would...support her? If only in his own way?

"Haha!! Yeah right, like he ever would!!" Allen snorted, rolling her eyes. Her laugh slowly died down as she gazed out the window silently.

"I hope that...he does..." she murmured, resting her chin on her arms again.

"Hope who does what?" The voice belonged to the dark-haired swordsman. Of course. Allen jumped at his voice.

"I-I did not hear you come out of the bath room..." she said in surprise, scratching the back of her head.

"You were to busy laughing like a retard."

"Who's the retard?!"

"You, clearly."

"Why, you-!!"

Kanda sniffed derisively at her and adjusted the collar of the white shirt he was wearing. Allen turned her head to get a good look at him.

He had his coat hanging on his arm, for once wearing a shirt. It was pure white, crisply clean. For once, Kanda looked relaxed and comfortable. It may have been just the lack of the exorcist coat, but it looked good for Kanda.

"Everything looks good on and for Kanda," Allen thought miserably. She looked at the ground briefly before standing up. She would be strong, _she had to be strong_.

She looked Kanda straight in the eye, her face open and trusting, her emotions splayed over her face. She would be completely open, completely honest, and allow Kanda to judge her, with no misconceptions what-so-ever.

She would be strong.

* * *

Sorry it is so short...But there it is...With a nice little cliff hanger there.

And, I decided, that since some of you were so adamant that I post early, I made this as fast as I could for you. Review kindly, please.

And...I would like to say, I realize that Allen's character is off from what he/"she" actually is in the manga and anime, and forgive me for that, but he is a hard character to wrap my head around. His is a very complex character, you know? I apologize for that.

Kanda on the other hand, is easy. He is an arrogant, antisocial humbug. Easy to portray. Hehe.


	13. Discovery

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Kawaiichibi2345: You know what? You make me giggle. You also make me very happy. I appreciate all of your reviews!! I love you, Chibi-san!! 'Hearts'

And, I appreciate everyone's reviews. You make me want to post more, even though I really can not. But...I will try hard to.: )

Chapter Thirteen: Discovery

The title says it all, ne? 'Laughs evilly.' ...Or does it??

* * *

Before everything had gone horribly, so horribly wrong, Kanda knew that Allen had been about ready to say something. Something important, Kanda had thought, by the look in the Moyashi's eyes. That face that was so exposed.

But even as the white-haired exorcist had opened his mouth, an explosion rocked the building they were in, and the wall behind Allen had suddenly disappeared in a fiery blaze. The concussion force knocked them both to their knees, and Kanda wasted no time in pulling his Mugen from its resting place with one fluid, well-practiced movement. Ignoring the stumbling boy in front of him, Kanda rushed to where the once-present wall had been and looked around cautiously. A maniacal giggle sounded above him, drawing Kanda's attention. It was one of those cursed Noah, the little girl. Kanda believed her name was Road, but he couldn't be sure.

Snarling, Kanda brandished his Mugen at her, but no sooner than she had come, she was gone, right before his eyes.

A soft voice spoke right next to his ear, as intimate as a lover.

"You might want to focus you attentions on that little exorcist...He seems to be having...trouble." That tone in her voice was condescending and teasing, pissing Kanda off even more. When he whirled around, not half a second later, nothing, no one, was there.

Except of course, Allen, who was laying face-down in the debris of the explosion.

"Oi, Moyashi," Kanda barked, quickly sheathing Mugen. Allen was silent. No movement. This worried Kanda slightly.

"Oi!" he demanded, taking a step closer. His scowl deepened as he poked Allen in the leg with his boot.

"Moyashi?!" And still, Allen did not respond. Clenching his jaw, Kanda took another step closer. Closing the distance allowed Kanda a better view of Allen. He noticed the blood. There was...too much of it. Too much was on the floor. Kanda swallowed before bursting into action.

He knelt at Allen's side and gaped at the wound in Allen's back. Shrapnel and shards of glass had punctured through the black vest and white shirt, ripping the clothing to shreds. The only parts left were quickly turning red from the blood. The darkness of the early morning didn't allow Kanda to see much of the wounds, but he could tell that they were serious. If the Moyashi didn't receive aid soon...

Kanda winced and whipped his own exorcist coat off his arm and quickly pulled out the bandages that were usually around his own chest. Using Mugen, he cut off the remains of Allen's shirt and carefully pulled it out from underneath Allen. He removed all the glass shards from Allen's back, pulling them out quickly with dexterous fingers. Allen didn't even flinch in his unconscious state. Kanda quickly began to apply the bundles of ripped shirt to the wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. Kanda used the bandages to hold them in place, and began to wrap them around Allen's chest.

Kanda carefully lifted Allen up, his hand clamped to Allen's ribs as he pulled the unconscious body up. Something soft brushed against his finger. Something that should not belong on the chest of a male. Kanda froze, staring in disbelief at Allen.

"You...You're...Female?"

Kanda's mind quickly caught on, and he decided to ask later, act now. Allen's life was on the line, and regardless of what was untold and secret, Kanda had to help him- her. He quickly finished wrapping her back, not caring where his hands went, just desperate to get the job done.

"Moyashi...You have some explaining to do when you wake up." Kanda growled, wrapping his own exorcist jacket around her, covering her painfully obvious chest.

A rather ridiculous thought that Kanda found that he could not avoid, popped into his head while he rushed to go find a doctor, Allen curled in his arms.

"How in the hell did she keep THOSE(1) so flat and...And...Non-existent??" he wondered incredulously. If his arms hadn't been full of Allen, and if it hadn't been so urgent, Kanda would have punched himself for being such a pervert.

He reached the street quickly and looked around in either direction. The signs were all in German, which Kanda could just barely understand. None of them even remotely implied where a doctor might be. Kanda did not know the city well, and could only hope that he found one quickly.

"Where is the nearest doctor?" Kanda demanded of a passing pedestrian, his voice urgent and dangerous. The person pointed shakily in the direction of a building fifty feet away.

"Th-There." Kanda rushed to the building, knocking the door in with a kick from his booted foot.

"Doctor!! I have an injured person here!!" he yelled, bringing Allen in, careful of the doorway.

"Bring them in!" a voice replied from further in the establishment.

"What happened?"

"The hotel down the street was attacked and part of the wall exploded. My companion was injured in the explosion. I bound his-her wounds on site, but she needs further treatment and medicine."

"You did very well, I will help her. You may relax now." the doctor said. He was an older man, with a serious expression as he went to work. As the doctor quickly unwrapped the bandages, Kanda watched with a pounding heart.

Was this what Allen had been about to say before the attack? Had she wanted to tell him? Kanda covered his face, his mind panicking. He then noticed the blood that was all over his own chest.

Allen's blood. Thick, red and slippery. It was smeared on his collar bone and his stomach, with small spattering on his chest.

The Moyashi...she had been between Kanda and the exploding wall. She had taken the brunt force of the explosion.

She...She. How could the Moyashi keep something like that from everyone?? Things like that were...were important for others to know!! Kanda realized that his mind was panicking, very much unlike his normal stoic behavior. He looked up at Allen who was face-down, her small, feminine back being treated. While Kanda had been silently panicked, the doctor had moved quickly and had stopped the bleeding for almost all of the cuts. He was now stitching up a particularly nasty gash, the worst of them all, but luckily not that bad.

Kanda began to realize that cuts like those wouldn't be enough to send Allen into the oblivion of unconsciousness. There had to be something else serious.

"Doctor. I think that something else may be wrong with my companion. It might be more serious than her back. Check her." Kanda commanded, taking a step closer.

"I will, give me a moment." the doctor said before tying up the last bandage. He looked up her small body, to her head. A slowly growing stain of blood was tainting the pure white of Allen's soft hair, stretching out a timid tendril of blood down to her neck.

"I found the cause of your worry, sir. This young lady seems to have been hit in the back of the head. It's a possible concussion. That is the cause of her passing out so quickly. I will treat it and bind it, and then, that is all I can do for the wound." the doctor said, grabbing a cloth from beside him. He poured a strong-smelling liquid on the cloth; Kanda figured it to be some sort of alcohol, then tenderly washed the wound amongst the tainted hair. The stinging smell of the liquid quickly filled the room.

"Young man, there are lanterns around this room. Light them please so that I might see better." the doctor commanded as he went about his work. Kanda nodded and grabbed one candle from its holder and then moved around the room, lighting all the lanterns. When he was done, the doctor thanked him briefly.

"I will go back to the hotel. I need to retrieve our suitcases." Kanda said, moving toward the front door. Though the strong smell of the alcohol filled the room, it could not entirely cover the sickly-sweet scent of Allen's blood. Though Kanda was used to the smell, the fact that it was Allen's made him slightly sick for an unknown reason. He left quickly, trusting the doctor to keep the Moyashi safe.

"If he does not..." Kanda did not need to finish the thought, for he knew exactly what he would do to the doctor should Allen suffer anymore, or even die.

Kanda did not like to admit what the stupid Moyashi meant to him, even to himself, though he knew perfectly well just what he felt. The fact that the once-thought male was actually..._not_, helped a little with his confusion, but now was not the time for revelations.

Kanda hurried back to the hotel to grab the suitcases, shoving past the shocked on-lookers. He ran into the lobby and up the stairs to the room, which was being stared at, even in the hallway.

"Move it! I need to get through!!" he snapped at the shell-shocked people. He went into the room, stepping over what little rubble the obliterated wall had left behind, trying his hardest to ignore the large puddle of blood on the floor. He grabbed the two suitcases and Allen's exorcist coat, then headed back for the door.

"Sir, were you one of the people occupying this room?" an elderly man asked. Kanda glared and did not answer, brushing past the man to hurry down the hallway to the stairs.

He was on his way back to the doctor's inhabitance, when a dark-skinned man in expensive clothes stopped him. Kanda immediately recognized who it was.

"Moment of your time, good sir?" the condescending, deep voice of Tyki Mikk asked, coming from a wicked and evil grin.

"What the hell do you want?!" Kanda demanded, his hand going to his Mugen.

"Ah-uh-uh!" Tyki waggled his finger at Kanda, an almost innocent smile replacing the previous grin.

"You attack me, and poor Road might have to attack her favorite toy...Again." the Noah of Pleasure warned, touching the previously waggling finger to the brim of his top hat.

"I came to give you a message, mister exorcist."

Kanda glared angrily. He was getting tired of the inaction, as well as the "messages" that the vile Noah and their patriarch were always giving.

"If you proceed on your quest, to our dearest Budapest, you may find that such an intrusion is not easily forgiven, you see? I have a new ribbon!" Tyki said in a sing-song voice, twisting an all-too familiar red ribbon around his finger. Kanda forgot how to breathe, seeing the bloody ribbon waving in his face.

"Good bye now, dearest mister exorcist!" Tyki laughed, disappearing into the shadows of an alley. The red, tainted ribbon floated to the ground, having passed through Tyki's fingers by his will, coming to a rest on the stones before Kanda's feet, a particularly bloody tip lying on his black boot. He stared at it, trying to quickly recompose his expression.

"Che. Baka, your rhyming sucks." Kanda growled. Though his words were so light, he could not feel any more wound up and on-guard. He did not bother to pick up the ribbon, but instead hurried onward to the doctor's, fear pumping in his heart like never before.

* * *

"Teehee! Tyki-pet!! This is fun!" Road giggled, kicking her legs out from her perch on the roof of a building. Tyki smirked, watching the black-haired exorcist as he made his way to where Allen Walker was.

"It is...Quite." Tyki said softly, running his hand over his face, golden eyes glinting maliciously.

* * *

(1) I think that that implies that Allen has big...Err...yeah... : )

Well...That was...interesting. I wonder if this was the way (how Kanda found out, that is) that anyone imagined it would be...?

Tell me, how did you think Kanda would find out? Respond in a review...Because I am curious.

I am sorry for how...OOC Kanda is...But, it is all necessary...Also, it goes along with how the story is progressing...Forgive me if you do not like it.


	14. Unanswered Questions

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Chapter Fourteen: Unanswered Questions

* * *

Kanda waited on tense nerves for the doctor to give his final opinion on how Allen's condition was. By the time the doctor finished his work of patching up some of the other less-fortunate people caught up in the explosion, none of them nearly as bad as Allen, it was mid-morning, the sun well on its way up towards its zenith.

He knew that he should have contacted the Dark Order and Komui long before this time, his sense of duty told him so vehemently for several hours, but Kanda wanted to know, had to know, for his sanity's sake, that Allen was okay. Kanda was far from feeling like his usual self, and found himself uncaring for forsaking his duty for the time being.

The last of the doctor's patients left the building and the doctor made his way over to Kanda, who was rooted to a chair a few feet away from Allen's body.

"My friend, I am glad to tell you that this young lady's life is no longer in danger. But, there is always a darker side to good news. Severe muscle damage was done to her back that will require weeks of regeneration, as well as rehabilitation. She will need a great deal of help in recovery. The concussion is not severe, but bad enough so that she will not awaken for some time. I would prefer if she were to stay here at least for a few more days, young sir."

A sense of relief rushed through Kanda, but the nagging worry was still ever-present in the front of his mind. All that really mattered, though, was that Allen was okay. Kanda nodded his acknowledgement to the doctor.

"I must use your phone." Kanda said, standing up from his chair.

"Sorry, son, but I do not have one. The hotel you were at has one, however." The doctor informed, shrugging one shoulder in an apologetic motion. Kanda sniffed and headed to the front door, not without passing a strict warning.

"Do not let anyone near her. It does not matter who they are. If they are not me, then do not let them, or your life will be forfeit." came his threat, causing the man to arch an eyebrow in surprise. He obviously was not scared by the warning, most likely because the man was too far along in his years to be scared of death. He nodded to Kanda, then bowed a little in respect.

Kanda was satisfied by the man's response, and then walked out the door. Now that he had everything that Komui had to be told, he could call with a full report.

Being careful that he would not meet up with any unpleasant surprises, Kanda walked into the hotel lobby and demanded to use the phone. The poor woman behind the desk looked like she was having a stressful day, and so just pointed to the left, not even saying a word.

Kanda's golem flew out of his coat and fluttered over the telephone, waiting to be used. Kanda plugged the golem in and waited for it to connect.

"Komui Lee, at your service!" the voice on the other end sang happily.

"It's Kanda."

"Ahhh!! Kanda-kun! What news? How is Budapest? Is Allen doing okay? Are-"

"No, _he_ is not. We are in Vienna. Our hotel room was attacked and Allen was injured. He is being watched by a doctor." Kanda interrupted before Komui could go further in his rambling.

"How is he?" Komui's voice had lost all playfulness, purely businesslike now.

"Unconscious, but alive."

Komui's sigh of relief was audible from the other side before he continued.

"His wounds?"

"A concussion and severe muscle damage to his back."

Kanda had decided that he would give all news to Komui before telling him about Allen's...secret. It was not immediately important.

"We were attacked by the Noah, Road. She seemed to be accompanied by Tyki Mikk. I was told, after Allen was taken to a doctor, that we are to not go any closer to Budapest or we will be killed." Kanda explained quickly.

"Are you okay?" Komui asked, but it seemed that Kanda ignored his question.

"I cannot tell you everything right now, but I will give you a full report on it once I -we- return. I also- I must tell you- There is something strange about the Moyashi. I can't tell you just yet, but you will know."

"Okay, Kanda. In that case, I give you the order to return and make a full report to me."

"Che, fine." And with that, the line went silent, signifying that Kanda had hung up.

Komui hung up the phone and dropped his forehead to the desk. Tears of relief came to his eyes. The lives of Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda would not be wasted in the death trap that was Budapest. Based on the information that Kanda had given him, Budapest was the Millennium Earl's new base of operations, or that was how it seemed.

"So close to here, it is scary..." Komui said aloud, lifting his head from the desk.

"Brother?" Lenalee asked, holding a fresh cup of coffee for Komui. She had heard him speak aloud, and was concerned.

"Ahhh, coffee for the hard working man!" Komui said happily, taking the steaming cup from her, wincing from the heat.

"Sorry, Brother, but you are not very hard working." Lenalee teased, standing next to her elder brother. Komui pouted pathetically.

"Why do you scorn me so?!" he cried dramatically, waving his arms around. Lenalee sighed.

"You will spill your coffee, Brother."

"Ahh, yes-! The coffee!! The coffee that you slaved over to bring to me!" he said, then took a delicate sip.

"And so delicious; you treat me too well, my dearest baby sister!!" Komui announced, trying to get a hug from the younger girl. Lenalee evaded, smacking Komui on the head with the tray that she had used to bring in the coffee. Komui pouted again.

"What were you mumbling about, Brother?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I just gave Kanda orders to abort his mission to Budapest," Komui said, not looking the least bit unhappy about the news.

"Wasn't Allen with him on that mission? Why are they coming back?"

"It appears, Lenalee, that Allen was injured badly in an attack from two of the Noah Clan. Kanda was warned that they were not to continue to Budapest at the risk of their own lives." Komui explained. There was more to it, but Kanda had made Komui promise not to tell too much until both him and Allen had safely returned. Komui knew that all that Kanda had told him was not all that there was to tell, either. A full report was promised when Kanda returned, however, and he could not argue with that. He looked up at Lenalee, whose eyes were wide with worry, her hand covering her mouth.

"A-Allen...Is he-?"

"Kanda said that he was alive, but unconscious. He said that as soon as he could, he would leave Vienna and head back."

Lenalee sat down on the edge of Komui's desk, staring blankly at the ground. She looked up suddenly, surprising Komui.

"And Kanda?! Is he okay, too?" she demanded, grabbing Komui's arm.

"He did not mention any wounds that he received, nor did he sound strained, so I believe that he is okay."

"Who is okay?" Lavi asked from the doorway, chewing on an unidentifiable article of food.

"Kanda. We were talking about Kanda. He is returning from a mission in Budapest." Komui said, patting Lenalee's arm sympathetically.

"He was with Allen on that one, right? Is everything okay?" Lavi asked, stuffing the last bit of the food in his mouth. His red hair was not bound by the usual bandana, and so hung in his face, covering his forehead and parts of his eyes.

"Allen was hurt. They were attacked by Road Camelot of the Noah and Allen received severe muscle damage to his back and a concussion to the back of his head. Kanda took him to a doctor, but was warned by Tyki Mikk not to go any further towards Budapest. They are in Vienna right now and will come back as soon as Allen can be moved." Komui explained again.

Lavi did not speak, his mind panicking. Allen was hurt?! Then-! Kanda had surely found out!! Why did Komui not say anything? Before his emotions could show, Lavi left the room silently, his hand going to the string of his eyepatch, tugging it nervously.

Komui watched were Lavi had been curiously. Lavi was usually more...assertive when someone close to him was hurt. Did this have anything to do with what Kanda had told Komui? About how something strange was going on with Allen?

"Brother?" Lenalee questioned, poking her brother in the shoulder.

"Yes, my dearest Lenalee?" Komui responded, smiling up at his baby sister.

"You should send a medical team to Vienna to help Kanda. I don't think that he could deal with an injured person easily." the Chinese girl said, tilting her head to the side again.

"You are right, I will do that now." Komui said, grabbing the phone again. Lenalee hopped off the desk and walked out of the room, determined to see what was wrong with Lavi. She had also noticed his odd behavior, had seen the look of panic flash in the older man's green eyes. After that brief flash, they had immediately grown clouded and distant, as though Lavi had purposely masked his emotions.

* * *

The next morning, Kanda received a call from Komui, telling him that a medical team was on its way to transport Allen back to the Dark Order. He had also tried to pry the secret about Allen from Kanda, but Kanda had slammed the phone back into its cradle, the suddenly disconnected line being his answer. He could not tell Komui what he did not yet understand, after all.

Sure, it was easy to comprehend. Allen was not a male. "He" had things that men do not have. (Kanda had learned that first hand, _with_ his hand.) But the problem was, why? Why had Allen hidden it? What was she trying to accomplish by it? Did anyone else know?

Kanda could not answer those questions. He looked at the sleeping girl, her chest rising and falling slowly. Though Kanda had at first been slightly relieved that the Moyashi was a girl, he now found that it was not easier than before. There was no way that he could express his "feelings" for her, or anyone at all. Even himself; he could not even tell himself that he cared strongly for the white-haired girl.

In addition, the Moyashi still drove him insane, all the time. Even now, he had the desire to punch the sleeping girl. She was infinitely frustrating to the easily-angered Japanese man. Why in the world was she always so foolish? Always so stupidly noble? Wanting to destroy and save; to be the savior for the Humans _and_ the Akuma.

The girl had a martyr-complex, without a doubt, but not for the "glory" of being a martyr. She did not want to repent for her sin of turning her foster-father into an Akuma. Instead, she wanted to _save_ the Akuma's souls. Always quoting silly phrases:

"I must keep moving; keep walking."

And:

"My right hand is for the Humans, my left for the Akuma."

Or:

"Pitiful Akuma, let your soul be saved."

"Foolish girl..." Kanda growled, leaning closer to Allen's sleeping form, tracing a line down her cheek, stroking a strand of white, soft hair. He found that his jaw was clenched in frustration and anger, but not really at Allen. It was anger towards...The Noah who had done this. The Noah who had hurt his Moyashi.

And most of all: the world that had abandoned and rejected the girl for a minor deformity, the world that the girl tried to so hard to save. And the damned world that was the only factor that allowed the Earl to continue his wicked plans!

* * *

So...that is the end of chapter fourteen. I am sorry it took so long to update. I started school two days ago, and my god- It has been hectic and busy like crazy! I had to help run a booth for a parade. Root Beer Floats! It was so much fun, but I was exhausted!!

Anyway, I hope that you review. I will try to hurry to get the next chapter updated soon, but I have a lot to do. Being my senior, and last year of high school, I have a lot to do.


	15. Returned

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... winks)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

I am soo sorry that it took so long!! Between school, emotional break downs, stress, homework, trying to get a job, applying for colleges, grants, scholarships….I could not even begin to think about writing, even IF my computer had not been decommissioned for almost a month and a half. I am sorry!! T.T I will try to make this one as good as I can…but I cannot guarantee anything. It has been a long time since I have been able to write at this, so, I hope I can maintain what I had at an earlier point. I'M SORRY!! T.T

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Returned

Kanda waited the necessary few days for Komui's assigned medical team to arrive in Vienna, watching the unconscious Moyashi on tense nerves. Indeed, as he had thought, Kanda slowly came to terms with everything between himself and the white-haired girl, and could now, with a little bit of difficulty, admit to himself that Allen was important to him.

The medical team had permission to keep Allen in her own compartment on the train, and keep her secluded from anyone else on the train. There were always at least two medics at her side at all times, to keep a watch on her condition to make sure nothing changed. Seeing as Kanda had to be sure of the safety of such a large group of people incapable of properly fighting any Akuma, he was always patrolling the train, moving with an almost restlessness, until a medic told him to get some sleep, or at least relax.

The medical team made the trip back to the Dark Order longer than it had taken Allen and Kanda to get from there to Vienna. Kanda had refrained from complaining, though he thought that it would be better to hurry, so as to get Allen back to where she could be properly treated. Seeing as Kanda was not a doctor, and tended to take lives more than he saved them, he kept his mouth shut.

The first thing of the Dark Order he saw, other than the impressive building itself, was Lenalee running towards him as he lead the way into the underground entrance. Kanda only thought that she was hurrying to see Allen, and so was caught off guard when Lenalee wrapped her arms around him.

"Kanda!!" she cried, holding him tightly. Kanda stared at the side of her head, which was all that he could see of her, in bewilderment.

"Lenalee, let poor Kanda go. He is bound to have a sour temper after such a failure at the mission," Lavi said. Though he was talking to Lenalee, he was looking at Kanda. His voice was teasing, but his eyes were serious and unforgiving. Needless to say, it threw Kanda off-balance. Lenalee released Kanda and hurried over to Allen's side quickly. Kanda did not move, staring down Lavi, who looked fairly pissed, another thing that threw Kanda off. Lavi was never anything but happy and foolish. Rarely was he angry, unless with good reason.

"Che." Kanda sniffed, and pushed past Lavi. The red-head hid his anger and instead of chasing after Kanda to give him the dressing-down of his life, along with a few well-placed punches, he went to Lenalee's side, where she hovered over Allen.

The unconscious girl had more bruises and cuts and bandages than was necessary. Komui had said that Allen had received a concussion and severe wounds to her back, and yet, there was a fading bruise on her cheek and bandages around her right arm, in addition to the wrappings around Allen's head. He could not see the bandages around Allen's chest, which made him worry. Still, there was no mention of Allen's secret, which only served to confuse Lavi as well. He had to talk to Kanda and/or Komui, preferably both. He had to know what Kanda knew…and what Komui knew. And, given what information the two men did know, what they would do with it.

* * *

"Kanda, I didn't think that you would be in my office so soon after getting back!" Komui said, clearly surprised.

"Che, that is because you have no sense of duty." Kanda snapped.

"You are so mean, Kanda-kun," Komui pouted.

"Shut up and listen or I am out of here!"

"Speak," Komui said, his expression serious.

Kanda recounted the events after Allen's injury flawlessly. His ability to recall the time was only as sharp as it was because of the importance of it, as well as the shock that had broadened Kanda's mind into remembering every detail. He could even remember the exact time, exact second that Allen had just about opened her mouth to speak, and then not a second later, the explosion that knocked them to their knees. Komui listened intently, his attention not deviating from the black-haired, severe swordsman for a second.

When Kanda finished, Komui nodded quietly, staring at the papers on his desk. After a moment, he looked back up at Kanda.

"Now, what about that secret that you wanted to tell me about Allen?"

"As I said, when the Moyashi was injured, I had to bandage his wounds. When I bandaged him though, I learned that he….is not a male. She had breasts. You will soon learn from the Head Nurse and the medical team that transported the Moyashi back here that this is true." Kanda explained.

"Wh-What?" Komui asked, thinking that he might have heard wrong.

"The Moyashi is a female, baka!" Kanda snapped, his patience wearing thin. He was tired, stressed, angry, and worried, and in no mood to deal with people questioning him.

* * *

Lavi watched as Lenalee fluttered around behind the people carrying Allen on a stretcher. She wanted nothing more than to be directly beside Allen, but she refrained from doing so, as she would get in the way of the medics. When the small procession made it to the medical wing of the Dark Order, three of the medics broke off to face Lavi and Lenalee, their faces serious.

"Allen Walker needs to be bathed and bandaged. You cannot enter this room right now, Mr. Lavi and Miss Lenalee. Please come back in a few hours. I am sorry for the inconvenience." The middle medic said, sounding much like a robot. Lavi narrowed his eyes slightly and watched the medic who had spoken turn heel and walk into the room that the other four medics had gone into with Allen. The door was shut and locked; the metallic clicks sounding in the medical wing. The other two medics took up positions outside the door, on either side of the door. Lenalee looked confused and even more worried, if that was possible.

The sound of high-heels clicking against the stone floor resounded from behind them through the sudden silence after the door shut.

"Lavi! Lenalee!! Is Allen okay? What happened?!" Miranda Lotto asked; her dark eyes wide and full of concern.

"Allen Walker is injured heavily. It is not fatal, nor is it expected to become disabling. Mr. Walker is temporarily comatose, but we believe that he will pull out of it when his wounds are better healed. It will take some time, however." One of the emotionless medics said, without moving or even looking at Miranda. The three exorcists exchanged looks and Lavi tilted his head in the direction of the exit to the medical wing, indicating that they talked away from the disturbingly robotic medic-watch dogs. Lenalee and Miranda followed him silently until they were outside the wing, standing near the railing looking out from the tower to the ground far below.

"As that weird medic said, Allen was hurt. No information about how Allen was hurt has been given, not from Yuu or the medics that accompanied them back from their mission. But he got severe muscle damage to his back and a concussion." Lavi said to Miranda, whose expression only became more worried.

"Should we go talk to-" Lenalee began, but was interrupted by the sound of rapidly running footsteps. They turned to see Reever running towards them, his once-white lab coat flapping behind him.

"Lavi! Lenalee! The Supervisor wants you in his office!" Reever said, looking breathless. He seemed to have had to run from the Science Section, which was a few floors away from the Medical wing.

"What is the emergency?" Lenalee asked, her body tensing up as she prepared for more bad news. (How pessimistic of her! .o) Lavi and Miranda also waited on baited breath, watching Reever's expression intently.

"Your brother did not say, but he did say it was urgent. Kanda is already there." Reever said, trying to catch his breath. Lavi and Lenalee nodded almost in unison and began hurrying to Komui's office in the Science Section. It took them nearly four or five minutes to get there, hurrying as best as they could in the lunch rush as people headed to go eat in the cafeteria. The grim expressions on Lavi and Lenalee's faces gave some of the finders and scientists pause when they thought to greet them.

* * *

Komui's office door was open when Lavi and Lenalee approached, and when they walked in, Komui told them to shut it behind them. After the two exorcists made themselves comfortable on the couch; Kanda was standing off to the side, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed, Komui began speaking. His expression and tone of voice were both flat, non-judgmental, lacking in emotion.

"Kanda has just informed me of something of importance…." Komui trailed off, searching for the best way to inform the two in the easiest possible way. Instead, he tried again; "I want…I don't think that this bit of information should be told to just anyone….yet. You must promise to keep it to yourself….at least until I give the all clear. I want to…Well…" Komui sighed harshly, slowly dragging the white beret off his head.

"When Allen Walker was injured, Kanda had to bandage him personally before he could take Allen to a doctor.-"

Lavi's eyes widened. He had the sinking feeling that he knew what Komui was about to say.

"-Kanda…had to remove Allen's shirt….to bandage him….And-"

"Baka! You don't need to go into detail!!" Kanda growled from the side, the blush only evident to Lavi's expert eye. The black-haired swordsman swore in Japanese, presumably cursing Komui.

"Right. Ahh…Well, he figured out that….Allen Walker is….-"

"-Female." Lavi finished, sighing. All three people looked at Lavi in surprise.

"You knew?" Komui asked.

"You would expect that a Bookman's apprentice to not know? I'd wager that Panda-jiji knew, too." Lavi said, shrugging nonchalantly. Kanda glared at Lavi (thought one would not know that Kanda was actually glaring, as Kanda has no other expression to express on that finely shaped face of his; it may as well have been a normal look).

After a few minutes, Lenalee found her voice and asked softly; "How..did you find out, Lavi?"

"It just occurred to me one day:" Lavi replied, looking from Lenalee, as he answered, to Kanda, "Allen just did not seem very much like any male I have ever met." The expressions on the faces of the others ranged from incredulity, confusion, disbelief, and what appeared to be suspicion.

"I think that the more important question would be what kept you from telling the rest of us. If anyone has the biggest mouth here, it would be you, baka usagi." Kanda sniffed, his hard, dark glare aimed directly, challengingly at the red-haired exorcist. He was still on edge from Lavi's previous glare, when Kanda had first arrived, and therefore very much sour about it.

"Ahh, but, Yuu-chan, you must remember that my responsibilities as a Bookman apprentice, though I am also an exorcist, are much different than yours. We Bookmen record history, we don't go around telling about it." Lavi answered, his voice sounding faintly patronizing, which only served to irritate Kanda even more.

"What's even more important, I think, is, what are we going to do with this information?" Lenalee asked, breaking the sudden tension between the two exorcists, looking at her older brother.

* * *

Ahhh!! It's finally done!! It took me three months (give or take.) to write this. I am so so so sorry it took so long!! I hope that you can forgive me. cries I feel so bad. T.T

Can you forgive me? ((And review, too?))

-Maze Puppet


	16. Anxiety

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

I was….XD…threatened to have this out by Sunday…So….Here I go. I will do my best.

I have to say zakura-san….Intimidation works..XD.

A/N: Komui may not sound like Komui in the first part, but that is because he is still in business mode. Okay? : )

Chapter: Anxiety

* * *

"_What's even more important, I think, is, what are we going to do with this information?" Lenalee asked, breaking the sudden tension between the two exorcists, looking at her older brother._

"Well, as I said, anything said here will not leave this office. If you are to talk about it, come here and talk to me. The only reason that you three alone will know is that we cannot have this spreading through the Dark Order just yet. If too many ears listen in, Central will eventually come to know, and they will want to investigate. And, while Allen is unconscious, the Central agents would be asking everyone what they know, and nothing would get done."

"Now, wait, Lavi, let me finish. While, I know that this may not seem like that important of a subject, we have to consider that Allen did lie to everyone. And if Central finds out that Allen kept that as a secret, they will demand to know what else she has been keeping from them. And, given the recent incident with the Arc, and the Fourteenth, the Musician, et cetera, et cetera, I do not think that Central could accept much more secrecy from Allen. I fear what they would do to her, just to know all her secrets." At this point, almost all four of them shuddered, visibly or inwardly, having each one of them heard of (or experienced) some of the things that Central would do, and had done in the past, in their desperation to learn and experiment new things.

"When Allen Walker awakens, whenever that may be, I will, we will talk to her about it. I believe that she will need our support in this, as she has obviously kept her secret hidden long enough and well enough to have fooled us. It will undoubtedly come as a shock to her." Komui finished, resting his hands one over the other, on his desk top, looking from Lavi to Lenalee, to Kanda, and back again.

"Is this understood?" he asked. All around assent (plus an affirmative, one would assume, grunt, from the side) came from them.

"Okay, then. Lavi? You wanted to say something?" Komui asked, relinquishing his time to speak to the red-head.

"Ahh, well, I think you pretty much covered it, Komui-san." Lavi shrugged noncommittally.

* * *

It had been five days since Kanda had arrived back at the Dark Order. There were no missions for Kanda to take up, because Komui was convinced that Kanda needed to be around just in case Allen woke up. Komui's reasoning behind that was beyond the Japanese swordsman, but he didn't complain. Truthfully, he was relieved in a few ways. One way was that he felt mentally exhausted to the point where whenever he went to sleep, his mind immediately shut off, preventing him from thinking any longer.

He found that he kept waking up early in the morning, though, at almost four o'clock in the morning, on the dot, his body shaking in a cold sweat. The emotion he felt in the first few moments of wakefulness was not fear, or anger, but worry. Worry so strong that it gripped his heart, pumping his veins with adrenaline, causing his muscles to clench. This only served to tire Kanda. By the third day, he would snap at anyone who dared to approach him.

The second way was that it was calming to be around the Moyashi, even if it also seemed to be the source of his exhaustion. He was anxious for her to awaken, so that he would know that she was going to be okay. No report from a nurse, from Komui, from one of those irritating Central-employed guards that stood outside the Moyashi's room would satisfy him. He had to see for himself, had to hear the foolish girl's voice for himself, to know that she was fine.

Kanda wasn't sure when he had become so…so weak and dependent; needing to know about the well-being of another. He didn't even know when his mind had completely accepted the fact that the stupid Moyashi was female, not male as everyone had previously thought. At this point, he found that he didn't really care.

He slipped out of his room, having just woken up in that odd state, his body shaking and cold, sweat-slicked and tense. After locking his door, Kanda set out for the cafeteria, adjusting the collar of his exorcist coat. Looking down at the silver cross-badge, his thoughts flashed back to the first mission he had with Allen. After he had been injured by the Akuma, he had fallen unconscious from blood loss.

When he had awoken, he found himself staring at the decrepit ceiling of an underground room. His head had been cushioned by something, which had helped relieve the intense headache he had been feeling. His arms had been shaking with fatigue and blood-loss, but they were strong enough to prop him up. Immediately, when he did prop himself up, he noticed that his "pillow" was one of the very same exorcist coats he wore. Again, immediately, he thought of the foolish, idealistic boy that had recently joined the ranks of the exorcists at the Dark Order. Disgust was the initial emotion felt, and the slight gratefulness, that someone had bothered to try to take care of him. That gratefulness was squashed after a millisecond, though, as anger replaced it.

The stupid girl and her "I-want-to-save-the-world"-complex. She would only get herself killed.

Kanda winced briefly, then sighed.

"She almost did," he said softly, barely loud enough for himself to hear.

Pulling himself out of his train of thought, Kanda looked around to figure out where he was. He was instantly mystified. He had been heading for the cafeteria, but found himself staring at a door, hand on the handle. It wasn't any door he immediately recognized, and when he looked around, he noticed that, somehow, he had gone to floors down, instead of two floors up, to where the cafeteria was.

This corridor happened to be full of doors that lead to the rooms of finders and probably several exorcists. Kanda looked at the door again. He had a sinking feeling of whose room this was. He released the handle and backed up a step, half-heartedly glaring at the door in confusion.

Why had he been trying to get into this room? Nothing in here would satisfy him. And the cafeteria was four floors up. _And the medical wing was only another two floors down._

He shook his head to clear out the odd thoughts and went to the nearest staircase.

* * *

Lavi yawned tiredly, stretching. He rubbed his eyes and shut the book he had just committed to memory. His stomach rumbled tellingly as he flopped forward onto the desk.

"Nnngh!" he groaned, looking plaintively at the Bookman. Bookman ignored the noise, his eyes scanning a book's content.

"UGGGH!!" Lavi groaned loudly, his gaze boring into the old man's expression, which only changed by the quirk of an eyebrow.

"_PANDA-JIJI!!!_" he whined, pushing his chair back.

"Lavi, I swear, if you call me that again, I'll send your head reeling back to Ancient Greece!!" Bookman growled, not even bothering to look away from his book.

"Go away before I skin you alive, you useless apprentice!!"

Lavi was out the door before the Bookman finished the second word, leaving a yelled "thank you" to float on the air and then disappear.

Lavi sped off to the cafeteria, spurred by hunger and a desire to get away from the library before the Bookman decided to change his mind. He chuckled a little, his way of feeling a little guilty for leaving the Bookman to work by himself.

"I'll bring him something from the cafeteria after I eat." Lavi vowed to himself as he turned a corner and leapt up the stairs, skipping two at a time. No doubt he left some finders or a few scientists confused and curious in his wake, but that wasn't of consequence. He hoped to catch Lenalee on her way from the cafeteria on her coffee delivery to the science section so that he could talk to her. It was his hope to see if he could get permission to go visit Allen in her room in the medical wing. He had a good feeling about the visiting idea, and so hoped that he would be allowed. Perhaps he would be nice and invite Kanda along to go with him.

Of course, Lavi had noticed Kanda's odd behavior. Then again, only Lavi would call it odd behavior. Anyone else would say that Kanda was just sour about having to be stuck at the Dark Order on Komui's command. Lavi knew better. Being a Bookman's apprentice permitted Lavi perfect memorization skills, so he knew Kanda's daily schedule down to the second. (The man was the epitome of habitual.) And knowing Kanda's schedule made it perfect for Lavi to sneak up on him and "appear" out of nowhere. (Lavi was determined that he would, someday, somehow surprise the slightly older man. Up to this point, all attempts had failed.)

Given how well Lavi knew Kanda, it was no surprise that he immediately noticed that something was up, when, on the first morning that Kanda had returned, Lavi found Kanda in the cafeteria, shaking hands struggling with chopsticks, looking a great deal paler than usual. Lavi had, mistakenly, bounced right up to the Japanese exorcist and asked what was wrong, all smiles and happiness. In response, Lavi got an intense glare and a punch to the face. Needless to say, Lavi didn't bother asking again.

Instead, he analyzed Kanda closely. Yes, analyzed. So intensely that it bordered stalking. In the first day Lavi had figured out that Kanda didn't want to be away from the Dark Order, in spite of what the many finders, who had been on the wrong side of Kanda's wrath, thought. Yes, Kanda wanted to be at the Dark Order.

Lavi had followed Kanda around on the third morning, to see what he did.

After leaving his room, Kanda had headed towards the stair case of his floor, supposedly heading towards the cafeteria. Instead, he headed down, which surprised Lavi. Eventually, he ended up almost two floors down before he looked up sharply, looked around at the staircase, then turned right around and marched back up. Lavi had had to race up to the next level as silently as he could and dive into the nearest corridor, hoping that Kanda wouldn't notice.

Thankfully, the Japanese man didn't, and Lavi was able to continue following him for the next few hours.

"Lenalee!!" Lavi cried, noticing the girl carrying a tray twenty feet ahead of him, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Lavi??" she gasped, trying to keep the tray stable as she got over the shock of Lavi's yell.

"Good morning!" Lavi said, smiling broadly.

"Good morning." The Chinese girl replied, turning around carefully, smiling at the red-head.

"You are headed to Komui's office, right?" Lavi asked. Lenalee nodded in response. Lavi took the tray from her hands.

"Then let me help you with this. I have a favor to ask Komui."

"Ugh! You are up to that again, Lavi? My brother is going to get upset with you. You've asked him everyday since Allen got back, and at least twice a day. Can't you give it a rest?" Lenalee sighed, looking exasperated.

"You want to see her as much as I do, Lenalee." Lavi said softly, leaning closer to her so that no one would over-hear.

"You know that you are right, Lavi, at least in that. So why bring it up?" Lenalee said sadly. Lavi bumped her gently in a comforting gesture.

"When I get permission, I will take you along for sure, Lenalee. You, me, and Kanda will all go. Don't worry about it."

* * *

There!! It's done!! Review, please. Now…I am going to go to sleep so that I can be ready for school tomorrow. Thanks for reading and I hope that you are not disappointed by how rushed this chapter may be.

-Maze Puppet


	17. The Medical Wing

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Chapter Seventeen: The Medical Wing

* * *

"I'm sorry, Lavi, but absolutely no visitors are allowed in Allen's room. Maybe by tomorrow, a few may be allowed in, but I really don't know. I can tell you, though, that Allen is showing some good signs towards recovery. No, she is not awake yet. But her responses to certain tests show that when she awakens, she will have full use of all her limbs, with no side effects. No spinal damage, no brain damage. Only some scarring on her upper to mid back." Komui said, not even looking at the pouting red-head.

Said pouting red-head was sprawled out on Komui's couch, pouting, green puppy-dog eye never leaving the science section supervisor's face. The Chinese man struggled to keep from breaking under that sad gaze. It made him feel bad that he couldn't allow Lavi or his precious sister in to see Allen Walker, but things weren't really going as well with the young exorcist as he said.

The "scarring" on Allen's back was nowhere near that stage just yet. Every time the nurses took Allen's bandages off, the wounds began bleeding anew. The concussion had had to be operated on twice already, to prevent bone fragments from embedding into Allen's brain tissue. Needless to say, it was similar to waging a war. Every battle was hard won for the medical teams. The reason no one was allowed near the medical wing without express permission, or unless with dire need, was because the nurses and doctors had to focus all their efforts to keep Allen breathing, to keep her heart beating. The doctors had no explanation for Komui as to why it was so difficult to maintain her life. Blood transfusions were done daily so that she would not die from blood loss.

In fact, it was almost time for the hourly update on Allen Walker's condition, maybe another ten minutes or so.

"Lavi, can you leave, please? I have work-" The phone rang before Komui could finish his sentence, somewhat surprising him. Komui picked up the phone.

"Supervisor Komui here."

"It's the medical wing. I have a few things to report, Supervisor."

"Go ahead," Komui said, waving his hand at Lavi in a lazy attempt to get him out.

"For one, Kanda was found collapsed in the training rooms-"

"What?!! What happened to him?!" Komui demanded. Lavi, who had been slowly prying himself off of the couch, looked up sharply at Komui, green eye wide, frozen.

"Fatigue, we think. He should be coming around in a few minutes. He had been trying to train with his sword, it seems. It is just lucky, with the way he fell, that his sword fell on the ground before he did. Otherwise….Kanda might have been sporting a nasty wound."

Komui sighed in relief, rubbing at his eyes before saying, "Continue."

"Well, the nurses and doctors working on Allen have been given a break. It seems that the bleeding may stop, if it hasn't already. They closed up the stitches on the concussion finally. It appears that things have taken a turn for the best, now, Komui, sir."

"That's-that's good to hear. Thank you very much."

There was some ruckus in the back ground that Komui heard indistinctly.

"Ahh, it appears that Kanda has awoken."

"Well, you had best attend to him, then." Komui said with a short laugh. A helpless sigh was the response before the other line disconnected. The Supervisor hung up, blowing out another sigh of relief.

"What happened? Who was hurt?" Lavi immediately demanded.

"It's okay. Kanda was found collapsed from fatigue in the training rooms. He just woke up, but he is fine." Komui explained.

"Nothing happened to Allen?" Lavi asked cautiously.

"No, everything is fine with her." Komui said, shaking his head. At least he didn't have to lie about that.

* * *

Kanda jerked awake, almost falling out of the bed he was in. Wait. How did he get in a bed? First, before figuring that out, he had to get rid of the ridiculous spinning of the room. His vision darkened briefly as he tried to clear his head by shaking it. All that that accomplished was to make Kanda fall back onto the pillow, feeling disturbingly dizzy.

After waiting patiently a few minutes for his vision and head to clear, Kanda sat up and looked around. For some odd reason, he was in one of the rooms of the medical wing. Mugen and his exorcist coat were nowhere to be seen. That made him jump from his bed and head straight to the door. He slammed the door open and grabbed the nearest person by the collar.

"Where the hell is Mugen?!" he demanded, snarling almost. The unfortunate nurse squeaked.

"I don't know, Mr. Kanda! After you were admitted, your sword and coat were put away so that you couldn't just run out!"

"Why is that?!"

"Because you collapsed from fatigue, Mr. Kanda!"

"Ahh, it appears that Kanda has awoken," someone said off to the side and behind Kanda. The black-haired exorcist dropped the poor nurse, who scurried away. Kanda turned around to face the head nurse, who had just hung up a phone.

"Now, Mr. Kanda. I believe that your room is-" she pointed to the room that Kanda had just exited, "-right there. If you would be so kind as to go back in there, I will bring both your sword and your coat, as well as something nutritious to eat. That is, I will bring the food either way, but your sword and coat come on one compromise."

"And that is?" Kanda asked calmly. He was willing to negotiate with the head nurse, but only because she tended to be violent and uncompromising with her patients. Not in the way that would damage them, no, that would not be very professional of her, but, she could find many different ways of making her patients obey her.

"You must stay in the medical wing until you are feeling better." she said simply. Kanda did not need to weigh his options at this time, but instead just nodded and went back into "his" room. He had to wonder, though, just what that "nutritious" food would consist of. He would much prefer his soba, but the head nurse was not to be argued with.

In about four minutes, the head nurse brought in a tray of food, Mugen and Kanda's coat. She was setting them down on the table next to Kanda's bed, which Kanda was perched on, waiting patiently, when a shout sounded out in the main room.

"She's bleeding again!! Head Nurse!! She's going into shock!! Get that blood transfusion, NOW!! Come on, we've got this far, we aren't going to lose her!!"

The head nurse dropped the tray onto the table, sloshing some of the soup that had been placed on it, and then raced out of the room, shutting the door behind her, but not before looking back at Kanda sternly.

"Stay in here until I tell you to come out," she warned. Kanda nodded, but he wouldn't doubt that that gesture was lost on the woman as she was already out the door. Kanda approached the door, listening to the commotion outside.

"-Where is that blood transfusion?!"

"-When did this start?!"

"-Get the paralytic! If she thrashes around too much, the bleeding will get worse!!"

"-Less than a minute ago, Head Nurse!"

"-Watch her head!! Hold her down!"

"-Her blood pressure is through the roof!! What the hell is causing these out-breaks?! This is the second time today, alone!"

"-Stop the chatter and go get that scalpel!"

"-Careful with that needle! Hold her arm still!"

Kanda had to brace himself against the wall. Second time? Today alone?! Were things really going that bad with Allen?? Why hadn't Komui told anyone?! Is that why no visitors were allowed in the medical wing?

A sudden silence from the outside room seemed to put immense pressure on Kanda, as he held his breath for any spoken word, any sign that things weren't as bad as they seemed.

A tortured, blood-curdling scream ripped through the medical wing.

* * *

Well~~, that is the end of that chapter. It is a little bit short, but with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end there.

Review please? : )

With lots of love,

-Maze Puppet


	18. Memories

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Thank you all for reviewing. Your reviews make me happy. And, I know that cliffhangers are frustrating, but there is no real other way to end a chapter. I could try, but then it would be boring.

Chapter Eighteen: Memories

* * *

Darkness. Pure, quiet, peaceful darkness. She was floating, unaware, uncaring, and blissful. All she knew was that before there had been a lot of pain, emotional and physical, such pain that was so much like torture. But now it was gone. All that was left was the warm, comforting darkness.

On occasion, she would have a momentary flash of memory, mostly of urgency, of necessity, but sometimes, there would be a memory of warmth that was so similar and yet so different from the darkness. That warmth made her happy, made her remember a name. But whenever that name got to close to being remembered entirely, more memories of urgency and necessity appeared, along with a brief touch of that pain from before. She recoiled from those kinds of memories, and to prevent them from returning, she would also recoil from the warm memories.

But she was so curious about those warm memories, and that name. She wanted to know those memories, to know that name, because they obviously made her so happy. What about those memories made her so happy? What about that name made her feel that way? All warm and fuzzy, tingling and excited. It was nice. And even though the darkness was also nice, it was dull, and she wanted the warm and fuzzy feelings to come back.

After what felt like a long while; even though time didn't seem to matter in this warm darkness, she grew curious enough to allow those warm memories to come to her. She embraced them, wrapping her mind around them. And, in turn, she embraced those other memories, the urgent ones. That warm name now came to her:

_Kanda._

And then a face. A dark, mysterious face that made her tingle happily. And then, more memories.

Looking at that mysterious face, feeling a sense of desire, the need to speak, to tell this _Kanda_ something….something important. He had to know. And then-

Pain. Great pain. A sharp, biting pain that came from behind her. In her head, too. It hurt so much!

So much pain, tightening her muscles, pulling at her skin, threatening to split her head in half.

She screamed, letting someone, anyone know. The pain! Someone help her!! Get rid of the pain, please!!

* * *

_A tortured, blood-curdling scream ripped through the medical wing._

The nurses working around the girl winced at the shrill, pain-filled scream of agony. They fought to keep the struggling girl still, so that they could stop the bleeding. The head nurse looked up when the scream died away, looking into the wide open, shocked grey eyes of Allen Walker.

"She's awake!" she cried, immediately moving away from the table to get a sedative. Allen screamed again, her voice breaking under the pressure on her vocal chords. In spite of the pain that her voice told that she was going through, Allen's body suddenly went rigid and still, all her muscles clenched to brace her against the agony. She ceased screaming again, staring at the ceiling, determination hardening her soft grey eyes into steel.

Kanda burst out of his room, the door rebounding from its impact against the wall. He rushed into the open door of Allen's room and looked through the wall of nurses and doctors at Allen. The slam of the door alerted Allen to the sudden presence of another in her room and she looked over at Kanda. The steely tint in her eyes softened briefly as she whispered his name. By then, the sedative had been injected into her right arm, and her eyes slowly drooped. In spite of the pain, just before she slipped into drug-induced sleep, she smiled softly at Kanda, her grey eyes warm and caring.

The black-haired Japanese man was speechless. She was awake. She was out of the slight coma. She had….smiled….so warmly at him. That smile made his stomach flutter pleasantly and he himself almost felt like smiling. Without even needing to be told to, Kanda left the room, backing up slowly, watching the white head just before it disappeared behind a frantic nurse.

Somehow, Kanda ended up back in his temporary room, sitting on the bed, staring at the floor in a gentle daze.

After a few minutes, he finally looked up at the tray that had been set on the table by the bed he was currently sitting on. The head nurse had placed a plentiful supply of fresh fruit in a bowl, very lightly buttered bread surrounding a soup bowl on a plate in the middle of the tray. On the other side of the plate, there stood a cup of steaming, what appeared to be, green tea. Not entirely interested about the soup, Kanda speared a piece of fruit on his fork and stuffed it in his mouth. His mind wasn't into eating, but it was something to occupy his hands as he stared at the door.

It was almost an hour later when the commotion outside slowed down, and another hour and a half before anyone even came in to check on Kanda. By that time, all the fruit, all the soup and bread was gone. The tea was only half-emptied, though, as Kanda found it difficult to drink it. Something about it was off, there was a bitter after-taste that shouldn't have been there in normal green tea. He figured that it might have been some form of medicine that the head nurse had put in it.

Also, by that time, Kanda's mind had moved out of the slight shock of seeing Allen awake and on to the warm smile that she had given him before she had fallen asleep. It was comforting to Kanda, since he hadn't been around to see the Moyashi in a while, and had not seen her soft smile in even longer.

* * *

Lavi lay awake, staring at the dark ceiling of his room.

Sleep seemed impossible. He had been lying in bed for hours now, waiting for sleep to come, but it evaded him frustratingly.

He knew exactly what he wanted to do.

And it appeared that, since sleep was not something that he could do right now, he would go and do just what it was that he wanted to do.

Lavi had a plan.

* * *

And that is the end of the chapter! ^_^

It's Halloween tomorrow and I plan on going to my best friend's party-thing; in which we (seven or eight of my friends and myself) will congregate at her house after school, then go trick-or-treating at seven for a few hours, then come back to her house, eat candy, snacks, drink soda, etc etc to our hearts content and then watch Johnny Depp movies, and scary movies, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show (Let's do the Time Warp again! Let's do the Time Warp again! XD), and then we shall all crash in random places around the house and sleep over…And then suffer from caffeine and sugar-induced hyperactivity and lack of sleep all Saturday.

AND THEN, I have to do all my homework on Sunday, which includes and English essay, probably a physics project, and a few other things. Given all that, I won't be able to update for a while. So, I decided to update today. This chapter IS kinda short, but bare with me. I wrote this in less than a couple hours in which I found free time from homework, school, chores and sleep. I will have regular updating back next week, I promise. ^_^ Oh yeah….What do you guys plan on dressing up as? I wanted to be a vampire, but that is so old-school, so I decided to be a Geisha. : )

-Maze Puppet


	19. Demonic Woman

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

I would like to say quickly, that I am honored and very appreciative for all of you who have stuck by and waited patiently (I hope) as I post these chapters. You guys rock!!!

Chapter Nineteen: Demonic Woman

* * *

Darkness and shadows were abundant, but that was only to be expected at this time of night. The hallways of the Dark Order were deserted, though, so walking in the shadows and trying to avoid the lighted parts of the corridors was not necessary for Lavi. In any case, even if he met up with anyone, it would not be odd if he was seen walking around so late at night. He was known to be a "weird one" amongst the finders and scientists roaming the Order, as well as all of the exorcists, those who knew him well enough. Therefore, no one would question him, and he would be free to go where ever he wished.

This night, though, the place he wished to go to was the Medical Wing. Where Allen and Kanda were being watched over. Lavi was sure, however, that Kanda would not allow anyone to "watch over" him, no matter the case.

Currently, he was only a corridor away from the Medical Wing, only a corridor away from seeing Allen, whom he hadn't been able to talk to, to interact with, in too long.

Excitement got the better of him, so Lavi snuck in the shadows for the last twenty feet to the main door to the wing. He silently opened the door, checking behind him to make sure no one snuck up behind him. He then checked in the main room of the medical wing to see if anyone waited, guarding Allen's room. There was no one present, however, to Lavi's slight relief (in truth, given all his "effort" in getting to the Medical Wing, Lavi expected/hoped for some resistance, some difficulty, but no such luck on this not-so-risky trip).

Lavi lightly closed the door behind him and then observed the room more closely. There were six doors, not including the one behind him, and almost all of them were closed. One, though, stood slightly ajar, just opposite from where Lavi now stood. He crept over to this door, to see if anyone lay behind it. The only things there, other than the normal bed, chair and small desk, was an exorcist's coat and a black, sheathed sword.

"Ahh, so you are still here, Yuu-chan. I wonder why that would be...." Lavi thought to himself, grinning crookedly. Being the smart man that he was, Lavi had figured a while back a....possible theory as to what was going on in Kanda's complex mind.

Lavi pushed the door back to where it had been left and then crept to the next door to his right. No sneaking swordsmen in that room. He continued around the main room until he got to the room that was just to the left of the room where Kanda's belongings lay. His hand wrapped around the door knob and he twisted his wrist slowly, carefully and silently opening the door. Still, just as silently, he pushed the door open and stepped in. There were no lights on in the room, but Lavi could see just fine.

He could see the tall swordsman bent over the sleeping form, a veil of black hair just barely shielding from view, but not quite well enough for Lavi to _not_ see, the lips being pressed against the side of pink lips of the pale face. It made Lavi's heart flinch in surprise, then grow warm. Seeing the supposedly cold-hearted, emotionless samurai express affection, even in such a small way, gave a small speckle of hope in Lavi's bookman's mind.

"Yuu-chan, that is the most heart-warming thing I have seen all month!" Lavi said softly, grinning. Kanda jumped, whirling to face Lavi, who suddenly felt the over-whelming feeling of _Doom_. He shuddered under the death glare being sent his way, but waved it off with a small grin.

"Our little white-haired girl exorcist interests you in that way, does she?" Lavi continued, leaning against the door. Kanda's glare grew even more dangerous, but Lavi sensed somewhere beneath that look from Hell, Kanda was actually embarrassed.

Indeed, the Japanese man was slightly embarrassed, but he was more curious right now.

"Just what the fuck are you doing here, Baka Usagi?" Kanda demanded, the volume of his voice quite loud, jolting Lavi a little. Did the Japanese man really not care about waking anyone? Did he not care that if someone were alerted to their presence in the room, they would both be "escorted" out of the room, and risk having a guard placed outside the room?

Well, knowing Kanda the way Lavi did, a guard outside a room would not prevent him from entering the room if he desired to get in.

"I came to see Allen-chan, Yuu-chan, but you seem to have beaten me here."

"Stop calling me by that name!" Kanda snarled.

"But....it is your name," a weak voice said behind Kanda. The black-haired swordsman's eyes grew wide and his entire body froze. Lavi blinked and looked past Kanda to the white-haired girl. Her light grey eyes shone lightly in the dark. Lavi smiled at her and sighed softly.

"Hello, Allen-chan."

"Hi, Lavi." she replied tiredly, trying to sit up. Lavi walked over to her, ignoring Kanda, whose expression showed great conflicting emotions. The red-head could tell that Kanda was panicking inwardly, and would soon snap and then turn into a cold-hearted bastard.

Five....Four....Three....Two....One...

"Che. Bakas." With that, Kanda stormed out of the room, grumbling under his breath. Allen's eyes were curious with a slight tint of hurt, but Lavi waved in dismissal at Kanda.

"Ignore him. He is just pissy as usual." Lavi said. Allen laughed lightly, but then groaned a little.

"What's wrong??" Lavi demanded automatically. The girl waved him off.

"No, no, it's fine. I am just a little hungry, is all."

"Well, we can remedy that fairly quickly." Lavi said with a mischievous grin.

* * *

"A little hungry?" Lavi asked, twenty-two minutes later. He had just watched the thin exorcist devour more food than he had ever seen disappear into any person, no matter the size. The display was faintly disturbing, but what was even weirder was that none of that food was on Allen's face, clothes, hands or neck. She had perfectly taken it all in, not a spot left to be told of it.

Allen laughed a little, wincing faintly as pressure was put on her back wounds.

"Are you full or do you want more food to sacrifice to that black hole of a stomach?" the red-head asked, grinning at her. Allen laughed again, smiling at Lavi.

"Ah, no, I think that this will hold me over until the morning." she said, pushing the last of the plates away.

"Thank you, Lavi, for helping me out to get here. I don't know if I could have made it by myself, or even lasted long enough in that room without something to eat. I felt as though I haven't eaten in a week!!"

"Actually, Allen-chan, you didn't eat for over a week. Not in the technical definition of eating. You were fed, but you didn't eat." Lavi explained. Allen looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"This should have probably been one of the first questions out of my mouth, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know, really. I....I was kind of afraid of knowing. But...Lavi....What happened?" Allen asked, lightly fingering the stitches on the back of her head.

"The last thing I remember was that Kanda and I were in Vienna-" Allen was interrupted by the voice of a very angry head nurse.

"Lavi!! How dare you take a patient out of the medical wing!! Especially one in such a precarious condition!! Have you no sense, boy?!" the head nurse snapped, grabbing Lavi's ear and twisting until the red-head was gasping for mercy.

"Come, Allen-dear, you need to get back to your room. You still aren't doing very well. Come, come." the nurse said softly, almost sweetly as she ushered Allen out of her chair a moment later.

"Hm! Demonic woman." Lavi huffed, pouting and rubbing at his abused ear.

"Lavi! Be quiet and come help me!" the head nurse snapped, swiveling her head to direct her sharp gaze at Lavi, who pouted again, but complied. It would be an excuse to stick around Allen a bit more, and perhaps get some more information on this "precarious condition" that the head nurse spoke of. If it meant what Lavi thought it did, then Komui was in for an earful in the morning.

* * *

Well, that is that chapter. Sorry for the lengthened wait; I would have had it out yesterday, but I had an essay to write, as I said last chapter. And, I would like to say, I will try to make the next chapter longer. Will _try_.

-Maze Puppet


	20. Kanda

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Chapter Twenty: Kanda

* * *

Kanda awoke suddenly, his body giving a violent spasm of muscles. He was shivering in a cold sweat, fists clenched. When he sat up, his hair stuck to his upper body, face, and neck uncomfortably. His hands shook as he brought them to his face, pushing his hair back. He closed his eyes and sat there, trying to calm his frazzled nerves. As far as he knew, there was no dream to remember that made him feel so...Conflicted and worried. He had a strong feeling that he knew what it was that set him on edge as such. _Who_ it was.

Kanda tried for ten minutes to meditate to calm himself, but failed miserably. It angered him to feel so weak, and it frustrated him that he could do almost nothing, save for doing the one thing that his mind opposed the most. (His body, however, completely agreed with and supported it.) He jumped out of his bed and pulled on his white, button-up shirt, then headed for the door. Without bothering to tie his hair up, (why would he need to have it up and out of the way when it was so late at night?), he opened the door and left the room.

His mind intended to go for the door leading out of the medical wing, but somehow he ended up with his hand on the door handle of a different door. He immediately knew what room it was, _whose_ room it was. Sighing in defeat, Kanda looked around the main room to make sure no one was around, and then opened the door of Allen's room. The girl's room was completely deserted, with the one exception of the girl herself. Kanda closed the door and then leaned against it, looking at the bed in the middle of the room. The white-haired girl slept peacefully, her breathing even and deep. It was soothing to see her, to see the white hair, the pale skin with the jagged red curse mark on the left side of her face. Kanda very nearly smiled at the sight, at the relief that overwhelmed all other emotions, aside from one, very specific emotion that he felt for the Moyashi.

_His Moyashi_......

He found himself slowly pacing over to the sleeping form, conflicting satisfaction, from getting ever-closer to her, and need, from wanting to be ever-more close to her, filling him. His hand immediately found hers, his somewhat cold hand taking in Allen's warm hand. The other hand went to the side of her face, long fingers trailing over her soft skin. The feather-soft, white hair tickled his fingers pleasantly before the sensation was lost as he moved his fingers down to touch Allen's lips.

Kanda suddenly realized that he had stopped shaking. The cold sweat was gone. In place of them, he felt warmth spreading throughout his body.

Small, gentle breaths breezed over Kanda's fingers. The black-haired man forgot all other things as multiple sensations overtook his suddenly content mind. Time as he knew it could end, right then and there, and Yuu Kanda would hold no regrets whatsoever. All he needed, all he ever wanted, was under his fingers, sleeping next to him. He slowly bent over next to whisper soft, Japanese words in the ear of his Moyashi. Then, Kanda drifted over to place a tender kiss on the edge of those pink lips. He was lost in the intense emotions he felt, the feeling of completion....Until a teasing voice broke through everything, shattering the dream-like moment.

"Yuu-chan, that is the most heart-warming thing I have seen all month!" the voice of the irritating _baka_, Lavi. Kanda was going to murder him some day. A day that seemed to be coming oh-so near, by the way things were going. Kanda stood up and glared hatefully at the red-haired bookman apprentice.

"Our little white-haired girl exorcist interests you in that way, does she?" Lavi asked, an almost-smirk on his face. Oh, yes, he was going to die.

"Just what the fuck are you doing here, Baka Usagi?" Kanda demanded, ready to spring across the room and strangle Lavi with that stupid scarf of his. If only he was wearing the ridiculous orange scarf, Kanda thought angrily.

"I came to see Allen-chan, Yuu-chan, but you seem to have beaten me here."

"Stop calling me by that name!" Kanda snarled.

"But….it is your name," a weak voice said behind Kanda. He couldn't bring his mind to operate for a few seconds. But, when it began working again, his immediate thought was, "Was she awake when I-?? If she was, then why didn't she-?? She must not have been!!" Kanda broke out of his shock.

"Che. Bakas." Kanda left the room, trying to retain as much of his dignity as he could. He headed directly to his temporary room, gathered his sword and coat, then left for his regular room; head nurse and her threats be damned!

* * *

After awakening to immense pain, Allen remembered seeing Kanda. His dark, normally unreadable eyes like a book for Allen to read. A very interesting book that told of unpleasant shock, pleasant surprise, and some sort of soft emotion that Allen had never before seen in Kanda's eyes. She remembered smiling at him before slipping into more darkness. The problem with this darkness, though, was that it was not warm, it was not happy or contented. She could not bring Kanda's face to mind, nor his voice, his biting sarcasm. Her world felt out of balance, incomplete. Allen most certainly did not like it.

But then, she heard soft words spoken in her left ear.

"Ore wa koikogareru."**

It was Kanda's voice....But it sounded so soft, sincere.... Allen really had no idea what he said.

To her immense surprise, a pair of lips pressed against the corner of her own lips. Her heart jumped and began pounding in her chest. Was Kanda....was he really-?

Allen was so shocked that she could not react, and so was faintly disappointed when the tender contact broke at the sound of another familiar voice.

"Yuu-chan, that is the most heart-warming thing I have seen all month!"

Allen fought off the blush she knew was rising to her cheeks, but opened her eyes to see only darkness. No one would see any color on her face.

"Our little white-haired girl exorcist interests you in that way, does she?" There was no fighting the blush- Wait! _GIRL?!!_ What the hell was Lavi thinking?! Kanda wasn't supposed to know!! Surely, Allen had been about to tell him her secret, last thing she remembered, but... What warranted Lavi to speak so openly of such a private thing?!

"Just what the fuck are you doing here, Baka Usagi?" Kanda said loudly next to her, most likely glaring at Lavi. The volume of his voice shocked Allen almost to the point of making her flinch, but she refrained. She didn't quite want to alert the other two to the fact that she was awake.

"I came to see Allen-chan, Yuu-chan, but you seem to have beaten me here." Lavi said, no doubt with a smile on his face.

"Stop calling me by that name!" Kanda snarled in response. Hm! Kanda was such a conflicted man.

"But....It is your name," Allen said, speaking before she realized exactly what she was thinking. She watched as Kanda stiffened, briefly wondering if he suspected that she had been awake when he had kissed her, then looked over at Lavi when he spoke.

"Hello, Allen-chan."

"Hey, Lavi." she replied, slowly sitting up. She smiled vaguely at him as he walked over to her.

"Che. Bakas." Kanda said, with an almost venomous tone to his deep voice. He stormed out of the room. Allen watched the door for a while after he left, even as Lavi spoke, "Ignore him. He is just pissy as usual." She laughed a little, but the motions shifted a certain tight spot on her back, which hurt quite a bit. A groan escaped her lips as her breathing sped up briefly.

"What's wrong??" Lavi demanded, his hand jerking toward Allen, as if he was prepared to help her. She waved him off, regulating her breathing by inhaling deeply a few times.

"No, no, it's fine. I am just a little hungry, is all."

"Well, we can remedy that fairly quickly." Lavi said with a mischievous grin.

* * *

Kanda slowly woke up from a peaceful state of sleep under the small tree he had fallen under a few hours ago. He was in his sanctuary in the lower levels of the Dark Order. After he had left the medical wing, he had gone to his room briefly. Upon deciding that that was probably one of the first places he would be looked for by the head nurse, he went straight to his sanctuary to sleep in peace.

Now that he was awake, and fully rested, he stood up and straightened his shirt and coat. He, then, straightened his pony-tail with quick, effortless motions of his fingers. He planned to head straight to Komui's office and demand a mission. And if the sister-obsessed fool would not give him one, Kanda would be leaving the Dark Order for a while. He wasn't entirely sure how long he would be gone, but he would remain in contact with Komui, and Komui alone, until he felt like returning.

* * *

**I am really sorry if this is an incorrect translation...But it is supposed to mean... "I am deeply in love with you." It is probably horribly wrong. -_-

Well, it is a little bit short, but longer than I originally planned....Because, at first, I was only going to do Kanda's perspective, and then end it. But you got a little bit of a treat, with a THIRD perspective of THE kiss. I hope you enjoyed it.


	21. Hard To Believe

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

I realize that there may have been some confusion about why Kanda wanted to leave the Order, as I did not go into detail about that. I shall try again, for you.

Chapter Twenty-One: Hard To Believe

* * *

Kanda planned to head straight to Komui's office and demand a mission. And if the sister-obsessed fool would not give him one, Kanda would be leaving the Dark Order for a while. He wasn't entirely sure how long he would be gone, but he would remain in contact with Komui, and Komui alone, until he felt like returning. There was no reason (that Kanda would openly admit) for him to take the drastic act of leaving the Order. Well...maybe one...

He abhorred the idea that he felt so emotionally weak around the Moyashi. It was as though he had no control over himself. And, being who he was, that was most unacceptable. However, Kanda would resort to leaving if only the foolish Komui would not give him a mission.

Kanda barged into Komui's office, causing the half-asleep Supervisor to jump up in surprise.

"Kanda!! There you are!! The Head Nurse has a bone to pick with you for leaving the medical wi-"

"I don't care, Komui. Give me a mission, now." Kanda demanded, glaring at Komui. The Chinese scientist looked confused.

"But...You haven't been released from the medical wing. The Head Nurse would skin me if I let you go on a mission."

"I was under the impression that I was speaking English. Or do you not comprehend the words, I. Don't. Care?" Kanda said quietly, sounding very dangerous. Komui looked perturbed, and perhaps a little scared, but did not give in.

"Kanda, at least go get checked out of the medical wing."

"I will right after you give me my mission."

"But, Kanda....Why do you want a mission so bad?"

Kanda's icy glare was the only response that Komui got.

"Mission, Komui." Kanda hissed. Komui waved his hands in an "Okay, Okay" gesture and pulled out a stack of new folders. He flipped through a couple of them, looked up at Kanda once, who was still glaring (can he do anything else?), then looked back down at the folders before pulling one out.

"Kanda...You really need to be careful with your health...You are in a delicate situation with the curse. Please, please, be careful." Komui said, opening the folder. Kanda, who looked faintly insulted behind the mask of anger, snatched the folder from his hand.

"Don't mother me, Supervisor! I don't need your concern." he snapped, opening the folder to look inside. It was a mission to Greece, in some small fishing town on the Aegean Sea, where "odd events" were taking place at night. Kanda grunted in what sounded like satisfaction and turned to leave.

"Wait..Kanda. Really, why do you want a mission so much? And so suddenly, no less?" As Kanda was about to answer a no-doubt bitingly sarcastic reply, Komui interrupted.

"If you don't answer, I will forbid you from leaving the Order for the next month."

Kanda froze in mid-stride.

"It is obvious that you are trying to avoid something, Kanda. I'm not stupid. In fact, I am a genius!" Komui said with a grin.

"Fuck you, Supervisor." Kanda snarled, whirling around.

"Tsk, tsk, language Kanda, really!"

"Don't fucking threaten me with your "clever" ideas of negotiation. It is none of your goddamned business when I want to do something that resembles _work_. Unlike some people around here, specifically a moron with a sister-complex, I _do_ my job!!" Kanda snapped.

* * *

Lenalee walked to the medical wing, her Dark Boots clicking against the stone floor, sending resounding echoes through the hallway. The door to the medical wing was ajar, which was odd considering that it had been closed shut, with guards no less, for almost a week now. She pushed the door open with the palm of her hand, ears perked, for some reason, for the squeak of the hinges. There was no squeak, however, only the soft tones of someone speaking inside the main room of the medical wing. The Head Nurse had her ear to the phone, listening silently with an occasional comment.

"Yes, Supervisor Komui, I understand. When he comes down here, I will refrain from pulling his ear off. Really, that boy..." she trailed off, shaking her head briefly.

"Yes, sir. Understood. I will report back when I am done examining him." After a pause, she continued.

"Yes, sir. I know. If he does not pass, I am to detain him here and prevent him from leaving. I understand." Another pause.

"Yes, sir. Goodbye, Supervisor Komui." She, then, hung up and turned around to face Lenalee, who had been standing a few feet behind her.

"Miss Lenalee. It's nice to see you. How can I help you?" the tall woman asked, smiling warmly at the shorter Chinese girl.

"I have updated files on the newest group of finders from my brother's office. He asked me to bring them here." Lenalee said, smiling warmly in return.

"Ahh...Thank you! Let me take those-"

"Che. Let's get this damned examine over." a deep, frustrated voice said directly behind Lenalee, who gasped and jumped in surprise.

"Kanda! I didn't hear you come in behind me! How long have you been there?" Lenalee asked, turning around quickly to face the Japanese man. She smiled up at him kindly; he was like a big brother to her...And not in the creepy Komui-way, either.

"Not that long." Kanda said, giving Lenalee the kindest look he could muster at the time, which came out as a look of uncertainty, with some angered-eyebrow arching.

"Oh. Well, how are you feeling? I heard that you-" Kanda interrupted her with a dismissive, "I'm fine."

"Well, let's just see about that, Kanda. Come with me and we will start your examination so we can decide whether or not you are fit to go on that mission." the Head Nurse said, waving towards a door across the main room. Kanda nodded briskly and followed the tall woman. Lenalee was left there, staring after the two. She sighed briefly, shaking her head at Kanda's brusque behavior. He seemed even more uptight and angry than usual.

"It probably has to do with the fact that Komui seems to be forcing him to have this examination," Lenalee thought, rolling her eyes at the thought of her eccentric older brother. Why Kanda was so insistent on going on a mission, that Komui was forced to have to negotiate with him was beyond Lenalee. The Japanese man really needed to learn how to relax once in a while.

Lenalee turned around to head out of the medical room, but stopped when she saw a flash of white hair through an open door. She knew immediately who it was, and approached the door to push it open. It was indeed Allen Walker, making Lenalee smile happily.

"Allen!!" she exclaimed, rushing into the room to attack the British girl in a hug.

"Lenalee!" Allen gasped in surprise, returning the hug after a moment.

"Oh! You are finally awake!" the older girl said, holding Allen at arms length, "How are you feeling? Do your injuries hurt? Do you want me to get you anything?"

"Oh, no, no, I am fine, Lenalee. Don't worry about it."

"Allen Walker, don't you dare tell me not to worry. You are one of my closest friends; you are practically my sister-" Allen froze, her eyes wide.

"What?"

"My sister, Allen. I think of you as my sister." Allen's shoulders slumped a little and she looked dejectedly at the floor.

"Does everyone know, then?" she asked softly, almost to herself.

"Only myself, my brother, Lavi and Kanda. And the medical staff, as they were treating your wounds." Lenalee said, laying a comforting hand on Allen's shoulder.

"I know that Lavi knew. How-How did the rest of you find out?" Allen asked, sighing, but straightening her back and looking directly at Lenalee. She still had some pride, and would face the news head on. She would not run away.

"Well, when you were hurt by the explosion- I'll explain that in a minute-" Lenalee added at Allen's confused expression, "Kanda had to bandage your wounds before taking you to a doctor. Considering how you were injured, it was only expected that he find out." At this Allen blushed furiously, her imagination going wild, thinking of all the different ways that Kanda could have found out in that situation. She wondered what Kanda had thought when he had....noticed. Had he been angry? Well, given the events of the previous night, when Allen had woken up, apparently he hadn't been, or at least he wasn't anymore. This lightened Allen's heavy heart, making her smile faintly, the memory of those words spoken so tenderly in her ear playing over in her head.

"What explosion were you talking about?" Allen asked, after Lenalee had paused for long enough.

"According to Kanda, Road Kamelot blew up your hotel room in Vienna. You had your back to the wall that exploded, which is why you were injured and not Kanda." The Chinese girl explained, sitting on the bed next to Allen.

There was a bit of a long silence before Lenalee spoke up again, her eyes knowing and mischievous at the same time. She saw the soft expression in Allen's grey eyes, the half-smile on her lips, and knew that something was up.

"Allen."

"Yes?"

"Do you love Kanda?"

Allen gasped in surprise, and then winced at the pressure on her wounds.

"Where did you get _that_ idea?!" she demanded, trying frantically to pass it off as vehement denial. All that she succeeded in doing was confirming Lenalee's suspicions.

"So you do." It was not a question, and did not permit any denial. Allen sighed again, refusing to get in an argument with the older girl.

"So what if I do?" she admitted in defeat.

"Nothing. It's just; you had such a happy and loving expression in your eyes when you were thinking about him." Lenalee said, smiling at Allen. Allen narrowed her eyes at the black-haired girl.

"I did not!! And what makes you think I was thinking about him?!" she demanded, looking indignant. Ahh, so she was in denial.

"Because we had just been talking about him. Clearly you were thinking about him. If you were thinking about someone else, then.....there is something wrong with your head." Lenalee said with a light laugh. Allen couldn't help but smile in spite of the indignant expression she was trying to maintain.

"Do you know when you are going to be released?" Lenalee asked, switching topics suddenly.

"Uhhh, I don't know. I think maybe tomorrow or the next day. At least, I hope so." Allen said, shrugging as she fiddled with the button on her sleeve. She had been given some clothes from her room to change into, since she didn't like the idea of wearing a robe provided by the Medical wing supply closet. That robe didn't hold much heat in, so Allen was constantly cold while wearing it. At least in her normal pants and shirt she could maintain a semblance of warmth in the cold rooms of the Medical wing.

"How long was I out for?" she asked, looking over at Lenalee.

"Almost two weeks. You have been back home for six days now, though. The trip back from Vienna took several days, since the medical team had to be careful about your transportation." Allen nodded in understanding, a little surprised that she had been out for so long. In fact, she was actually surprise quite a bit. She had suffered worse wounds before during missions, wounds that left her in pain for several weeks after they were inflicted. What was so different now that an explosion like that had affected her as such? She had taken several blasts from the level four Akuma that had attacked the Order and continued to fight for a long while afterwards. It didn't make any sense to her. Maybe something was wrong with her Innocence? Whatever it was, it did not sit well with Allen. If things continued on the path they were, who knew what kinds of catastrophes would occur?

* * *

Well, there you go. It took ages, and for that I am sorry, but I tried to make it longer than usual. I hope you enjoyed it. Review please! : )

-Maze Puppet


	22. Lavi's List Of Things To Do

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

I realize that there may have been some confusion about why Kanda wanted to leave the Order, as I did not go into detail about that. I shall try again, for you.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Lavi's List of Things To Do

* * *

After he left the Medical Wing at the vehement insistence of the Head Nurse, who still seemed a little miffed at his and Allen's midnight excursion to the cafeteria, Lavi went straight to his room, thinking about the tender kiss that Kanda had placed on Allen as she had slept. It really did make him hopeful that Kanda actually did care about Allen, never mind that it showed that the samurai had emotions at all. But, it brought to mind, indirectly; what was the love-struck swordsman going to do about it? Would he protect Allen as, no doubt, the girl would protect him (or anyone, for that matter)?

The Apprentice Bookman did not get any sleep that night. Instead, at first light, or at least when he figured that Komui would be awake, he left his room and headed straight to Komui's office.

Kanda's issues aside, first things first, Lavi had a bone to pick with the Supervisor.

"Komui!!!" Lavi whined, pounding his fist on the door, not caring who heard.

Bam!! Bam!! BAM!!

"Kooooo-mui!!!"

Bam!! Bam!! BAM!!

"Ko-muuuuuuuui!!!"

Bam!! Bam!! BAM!!

The door flew open, and there stood a frazzled-looking Komui.

"What?? What is it?!" the Supervisor asked frantically, expecting a horde of Akuma to be flying around, wreaking havoc.

"I have something to talk to you about." Lavi said calmly, almost smiling. Komui sighed heavily and shuffled away from the door to begin searching for his coffee cup.

"What do you need, Lavi?" Komui asked, lifting a heavy-looking pile of papers with little effort. If only the Chinese man would show that much care in his paper-work as he did in finding his coffee cup, Lavi thought with an amused smile.

"It's about Allen."

"Ahh, yes, I heard she was awake. I also heard that you were the one who pulled her out of the medical wing, away from where she could be saved if anything went wrong, where she could get immediate attention from her critical wounds."

"Aha!!! So you admit it!!" Lavi yelled, jabbing his finger in Komui's direction accusingly. Komui stared at that finger briefly before looking up at Lavi's face.

"Admit what?"

"You told me that Allen was in an okay condition yesterday morning!! You said that she was doing fine!! And yet, you just said that she has critical wounds!" Lavi said, pouting unhappily.

"You lied!"

"I had to keep the condition of Allen Walker under wraps. Do you really think that Allen would want you worrying about her?"

"And do _you_ really think that she would say _anything_ to _anyone_ if she was really hurt? She is known as one to keep secrets well."

"Well, you knew about her secret."

"That is only because I am a Bookman. Well, still an apprentice, but I _am_ supposed to know all the secrets of the world." When Komui tried to speak up, Lavi held up his hand to stop him.

"Regardless of Allen's dysfunctional beliefs, you should have said something. Those of us who care about Allen have a right to know these things." he continued, his expression completely serious.

"If anything were to happen to Lenalee, you would want to know everything that went on, right?" Lavi asked, knowing that he wasn't being entirely fair, but found that he didn't really care anyway. Komui looked a little guilty and didn't answer.

"So, in all truth, how has the past few days been going with Allen's condition?"

"It has been a continuous uphill battle to keep her just barely breathing. I am shocked that she.....is even awake right now, let alone alive." Komui said, the sorrow in his voice showing that he couldn't be telling anything else but the truth.

"The stitches that had to be in place two or three days ago on Allen's head were only just being put in when you came in yesterday. They had to perform surgery a few times to prevent bone fragments from imbedding into her brain tissue. She has been constantly bleeding every time her bandages are removed, and many blood transfusions have had to be given so that her heart will keep beating." the Chinese scientist explained, folding his fingers together. His dark eyes looked into Lavi's green eye with complete honesty, and complete sorrow. He almost looked....guilty. As though he had had something to do with Allen's injuries.

In truth, Komui couldn't feel anymore responsible for the incident. He had been the one to send Allen on that suicide mission. He had known from the start that something, anything, would go wrong on the mission. Though Komui knew that more horrible things could have gone wrong, as there was always worse situations to be described, he still felt as though he was being torn up inside.

_His_ exorcists were getting hurt so badly everyday. _His_ exorcists were suffering under _his_ command, even though he was under the command of others and he could do nothing about it, he still felt that it was his fault. _He_ was their death sentence in human form. How could he not feel responsible?

He felt a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. Almost as if Lavi had been reading his mind, the Apprentice Bookman said, "We don't blame you for our suffering. We all know what things you do for us, Komui, and we appreciate it very much."

Komui sniffled softly, trying to hide his tears. He replied in a choked up voice, "Thank you, Lavi."

Then, the older man hugged Lavi, making the red-head gape at him, then struggle to get away.

"Komui!! Really, Komui, enough!! Lemme go!!" he whined, pushing at Komui's head. The Chinese man chuckled and released him. Lavi slowly backed away, eyeing the Supervisor in distrust, then ran out the door.

"Freak," Lavi thought, but not without affection. He slowed down a few feet out of Komui's door, and sauntered towards the cafeteria. As he walked, he got a good look at a clock, deciding that the cafeteria was a perfect place to be at almost nine in the morning. Some crepes and fruit sounded really good.

* * *

After eating his fill of fruit and crepes with a soft, sweet, white cream on top, Lavi headed to the next destination on his list of things to do for the day.

_Find Kanda._

No doubt, the stoic swordsman would either be in his room or the training room, and Lavi was betting on the latter as oppose to the former.

Indeed, Kanda was in the training room, but he was not training. Instead, the Japanese man was meditating, Mugen at his side and lacking his shirt. Though his breathing was even and he looked relaxed, a shining layer of sweat clung to his upper body, which in turn cause his hair to stick to his skin in odd patches, breaking up the pale expanse in no discernible pattern.

"Yuuuuu-chaaan!!" Lavi yelled at Kanda from a good few feet away, out of swinging distance of the slightly older man with lightning-fast reflexes and a bad temper, especially for a certain red-head.

"What the hell do you want?" Kanda asked, his voice...._calm_?! There was definitely something up with this picture.

"I wanted to ask you a question." Lavi replied innocently. Still, no violent reaction from the normally-violent man, though there was a change in pattern in his breathing.

"What?"

"It is about Allen-chan." Still, no violent reaction, though, again, the breathing hitched a little and the left eye twitched faintly. All in all, the Japanese man had not moved an inch, had not opened his eyes. Very interesting indeed.

"Spit it out or get the hell out of here." Even tone, no anger, just pure....calm.

"Obviously, I saw you kiss her. So...what does this mean for you?" Lavi asked, his eyes closed and his tone sounding sagely.

The red-head had a sudden sense of vertigo, and then he crash landed against a rather hard surface.

"What the fuck business of that is yours?!!" Kanda demanded, Mugen pressing against Lavi's corroded artery as Kanda's lean but surprisingly strong body kept him pinned. The Japanese man had managed to get Lavi's arms pinned at his sides, with just those long legs. With the way he was positioned on Lavi's body, though, it inhibited Lavi's ability to move at all, whether he wanted to try to lever his body to flip the older man off, or to use his legs to knock him off balance.

"Ahh...You have been practicing your pinning technique. Did Allen help yo-ggh!!" Having Mugen's hilt pressing into your windpipe proved difficult to continue speaking, as Lavi learned.

"I suggest you get to the point, unless you care to learn how easily I can take away your ability to breathe." Kanda hissed, removing Mugen's hilt only to replace it with the blade itself.

"Ahh, so straightforward. Well, okay then, Yuu-chan. I will ask my question."

Lavi paused briefly for dramatic effect, but was only rewarded with a glare and an introduction to more of Mugen's blade.

"Huh! Well, I wanted to know....Obviously, you care about dear Allen-chan. What do you plan to do about it?"

"Che. As if that would be any of your business even if it were true. You really should get your head checked. Allowing your imagination to run as such can be a danger to your health. As I can be," Kanda said dismissively, but saying the last part with a real threat in his voice.

"Aww, are you shy, Kanda? Afraid to face your true feelings?" Lavi asked, smirking at Kanda.

"What the fuck would you know about feelings, you stupid _Bookman_." the Japanese man said venomously, emphasizing 'Bookman' with obvious intent.

"Bookman are detached from society, _right_? You don't have feelings for _people_, right?!" Kanda said accusingly.

That normally warm, soft green eye was suddenly as hard and as frigid as ice. Lavi _glared_ at him. That one green eye held more malice than Kanda had ever seen in the eyes of the jovial red-head.

"_That was not part of my question, Yuu Kanda_." Lavi said quietly. Kanda blinked in surprise. In that moment, Lavi chose to shift all of his weight to the left, lifting his right arm and leg in the process, flinging Kanda off of him. He wrapped his hand around Kanda's wrist, of the hand that held Mugen, ripping the Innocence-imbued weapon and throwing it across the room. Lavi flipped Kanda under him, using the exact technique that Kanda had used on him to pin the slightly older man. Lavi's main advantage, though, was that he weighed more than Kanda, which helped to keep the fuming swordsman down.

"Listen to me, and listen well, Kanda. I asked you a question, and I intend to receive an answer. Now, you failed to protect Allen from that explosion, and for that I hold you accountable. To add insult to injury, after you express how you feel for that white-haired girl, you intend to run away?? Is that how an honorable man really behaves?"

"What the fuck would you know about honor!!" Kanda growled, struggling even harder under Lavi's hold.

"A bit more than you, I think, Kanda-dear." Lavi said, smiling. Kanda felt a little relieved that some small part of Lavi's happy-go-lucky exterior was coming back. That venomous other side was nerve-wracking in many ways that made an unpleasant chill run down Kanda's spine. It was unnatural.

"Now. Tell me. What do you plan on doing with these feelings of yours?" Lavi asked, still smiling. On second thought....that smile was no smile of "Lavi's". It looked pleasant enough, but that was only skin-deep. It held promise of danger and great threat. It had no relation to "Lavi".

Kand growled, refusing to be lowered to the point of _explaining_ himself to someone else. No matter how disturbing that person happened to be at the current moment.

"It's none of your goddamned business!" he snarled.

"Fine. Yuu-chan. If you want to act like that, then... I will let you go. You are leaving on a mission, aren't you?" Lavi asked as he stood up and moved away.

"How the hell did you know that?" Kanda asked, rather disgruntled by the whole business.

"Oh, it's just that you are so predictable, Yuu-chan. No one told me. Well, except you. I know you too well, Yuu-chan." Lavi replied shrugging. Kanda sniffed, not bothering to even reply. He just grabbed his sword, sheathe, shirt and exorcist coat and left without a backwards glance.

"Oh, Yuu-chan. Just one more thing...."

"WHAT?!"

"When you come back....Don't expect everything to be the same."

"Che. Whatever."

* * *

Ooooo...Lavi is scary when he gets angry. Can you imagine him like that? I can.... and...Boy....*shivers*.....Scary.

Well, there is your new chapter. I typed this all within a two-hour period of time. That's a lot of crunch time for me...

After I watched DNAngel, too. Which, DNAngel is a REALLY good show. I love it. Dark is such a freak.^_^ Gotta love him though.

Sorry it took so long to get this out. I had a lot to do for the past few days, what with school and stuff.

Review, please? ^_^

Now...I am really tired...So I am going to go to bed. -_-zZzZzZ

-Maze Puppet


	23. Seed of Doubt

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Seed of Doubt

* * *

Lavi watched Kanda storm from the training room, a faint smirk on his face. Though his plan had gone off-track, he had still planted the little seed of doubt in Kanda's thick skull.

"_When you come back....Don't expect everything to be the same."_

He hoped that Kanda would jump to the automatic conclusion that any mind would, considering the topic that Lavi had been forcing Kanda to "discuss". Truthfully, Lavi didn't intend to do anything to change the situation any more than what would naturally occur. In other words, Kanda was on his own if he wanted to claim the Moyashi for himself. All Lavi would do was plant that little seed of suspicion and doubt and then hope for it to bear fruit. Step-one, (seed) complete. Step two, (wait and watch) initiated.

Indeed, that was all he could do; just sit, wait, and watch, and hope to God that Kanda wouldn't do anything to screw it up.

* * *

Allen sat quietly on her bed for several minutes after Lenalee left to go do errands for Komui. She was a little bit hungry, but didn't want to get up. Her whole body was pulsing with a dull ache that made her very tired. Instead, she opted to lay down and get some sleep to try to get rid of the pain.

She lay there for about ten minutes, each minute seeming to drag on and on, the pulsating of her muscles getting stronger and more uncomfortable. Finally, she gave up and slid off the bed. Perhaps she could convince one of the nurses to give her some pain medication or something to help her sleep. And maybe some food....

"Excuse me...Nurse?" the white-haired girl asked softly to a nurse who was standing by the phone, filling out a form of some sort.

"Yes, Miss Walker?"

"I was wondering if I could get something to eat, because I am rather hungry. Also, my muscles hurt quite a bit....Is there anyway I could get some pain medication?" Allen asked politely, her eyes soft and pleading.

"Yes, I will get them for you. What do you want to eat?" the nurse asked in response.

"Ahh, well, it does not really matter. Anything will do, as long as it is in large portions." Allen said gratefully, bowing to the nurse. The nurse smiled at her and then waved her back into her room.

"Go try to rest a bit before you eat. I will be back in ten minutes with your food and medication."

"Okay. Thank you very much!"

Allen knew that she couldn't rest, as she had already tried, and so, instead, she inspected her wounds, not taking any bandages off, but just feeling them. When she poked the stitches on her head, it made her vision swirl a little, so she refrained from doing that again, but the other injuries looked and felt okay. They didn't hurt a whole lot, but of course, it was hard to tell with the pulsing of pain that was getting nearer to a pounding in her veins, arteries and muscles.

As she was finishing her examination, there was a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" she asked, looking up from her bed. A hand snuck around the door and pushed it open to reveal Lavi.

"Hello, Lavi." Allen said kindly in greeting.

"Hey, Allen-chan." he responded, smiling somewhat mischievously. That made Allen somewhat nervous, but she ignored it.

"How are you doing?" the red-head asked, his hands behind his back.

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"I'm great. I just heard something about Kanda..."

Allen blushed slightly at the name, a memory of the faint touch of lips playing in her head.

"Yeah? What about him?"

"I heard that he was leaving for a mission tomorrow. Might be gone for a long while, from what I heard."

"Really? Well, good riddance."

Lavi chuckled at her, making Allen go rigid.

"What? What is so funny?!" she demanded. She narrowed her eyes at Lavi, who held up his hands innocently.

"It's just that you don't need to pretend around me anymore. I know that you like him, possibly even love him. I was just thinking....Maybe you could go say something to him about it....?" Allen's reaction was faintly humorous, in Lavi's opinion.

"What?! Tell him-?! Are you kidding me? Even if, by some miracle, the heartless bastard didn't kill me, he'd just laugh at me." Allen gaped at Lavi, but the thought had buried itself in her head...And now she wondered. Her reaction had been purely instinctual, but when she really thought about it, she was probably wrong. After all, _he_ had kissed _her_. And before that, he had whispered something in her ear... Now, what had it been? Oh, yes, that's right!

"_Ore wa koikogareru."_**

"Lavi?"

"Yes, Allen?"

"What does koikogareru mean?"

"Assuming that that is the language I think it is, Japanese, that is, it should mean to be deeply in love with. To use it in con....text...." Something clicked in Lavi's head that cleared up the confusion of Allen's question.

"What....if it was said like 'Ore wa koikogareru?" Lavi heard Allen say in the background to his thoughts.

Where could Allen have heard such a sentence? Why Japanese?

"_Well,"_ a small, smart-ass part of his mind replied, _"There is only _one_ Japanese man that Allen could have had contact with since she woke up."_

"Kanda said this to you?" Lavi asked, already knowing the answer to the question. The girl blushed a bit, but nodded 'yes'.

"Ahhh...I see."

"So, Kanda....loves me..?"

"Not quite, Allen."

"What?" she asked sharply, suspecting a trick.

"Kanda is _deeply in love with you_. There _is_ a difference." Lavi said sagely, earning a glare from Allen.

"Lavi!! Be serious!"

"I am being serious! Geez, Allen-chan. You are the one who is joking around and not finding one bit of this serious."

"That's not true! I find this very serious!"

"Then why in the world are you still here, in this room, knowing that Kanda is going to be leaving soon?" Lavi asked, arching his eyebrow pointedly at Allen. She stared at him blankly for a brief moment before rushing out the door without a word. Lavi chuckled a little.

"Good girl."

* * *

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Kanda groaned unhappily. Someone was at his door. Just as he had begun packing his things for his mission.

"Kanda! Kanda!!" someone cried, still pounding on the door.

Correction. _Allen Walker_, the Moyashi, was at his door.

"What the hell do you want?!" Kanda snapped. The pounding stopped abruptly and everything was silent a moment, enough so that Kanda was almost concerned. _Almost_.

"Kanda? You are in there?" came a suddenly nervous voice, as oppose to the demanding yells moments earlier.

"Clearly, Moyashi." Kanda snapped.

"Stop calling me that!!" she growled from the other side of the door, slamming her open palm against the door, it sounded like.

"Che. What the hell do you want?" Kanda reiterated using the same irritated tone as before. There was a pause for a few seconds and Kanda threw down one of his shirts that he had been trying to pack and paced across the room to the door.

"Well, Kanda...can I-" Kanda threw open the door, glaring at Allen, interrupting her mid-sentence.

"Ahh...Hello. What I wanted to say was....Well...I don't know how to-"

"Spit it out!!"

"Do be such an ass!! I'm trying to say it, here! Now just shut up and let me talk!" Allen snapped, pointing her finger accusingly in Kanda's face. Kanda glared at her, but kept his mouth shut. Allen took a steadying breath and continued, looking a lot calmer.

"What I wanted to say to you was that...." she paused, looking away briefly, embarrassed.

"There is no easy way to say this, so I will just come right out and say it!"

Kanda sighed impatiently.

"I was awake! Last night! When you were in my room... _Before_ Lavi came in." Allen said, watching Kanda closely. His dark eyes flickered briefly, but he didn't appear to be shocked. In fact, he only looked irritated. Could she have been wrong? No..._No_!! There was no way! She had felt his breath against her ear as he spoke those soft words, had felt his lips press against hers, the tender squeeze of his hand engulfing hers. She knew he had been there! She _knew_ it!!

"....Really?" Kanda asked emotionlessly.

"Yes! I know what....what you said. And what you did..." she trailed off, her hand reaching up to her lips.

"Sure you weren't dreaming?" Kanda asked snidely, turning back to his packing in dismissal.

"O-ore wa....koikogareru....Kanda..."

"What?!" Kanda demanded, whipping around.

"Well, that is what you said to me....You whispered it in my ear. Right before-"

"And do you know what it means?"

Something in Kanda's eyes told Allen that she should say no. To play dumb and pretend that it had not bothered her to the point where she had to ask Lavi. And half of her agreed. However, the other half said that, no, she should tell him, yes she knew what it meant. And yes, she felt the same way. The two sides battled for a few brief moments, before....

Allen's logical side won out.

"We-well....No. I don't."

"Che. It figures that you would be uneducated." Kanda sniffed. He did look somewhat relieved though. Allen glared at him. Why was he trying to run away from his actions??

"I am British, you know!! That means I should, logically, know English, BaKanda!! Not Japanese!"

"Che. Baka." Allen realized that she was contradicting herself by using her derogatory nickname for the older man, but found that she didn't care. She sighed, shaking her head in frustration.

After a few short minutes of Allen standing in the doorway, staring at the floor, she got the nerve to speak again. Her eyes were closed and her voice was soft.

"So you know, huh? That I am....a female?"

Kanda froze.

"I know...how you found out. I'm...sorry that I wasn't more careful when Road attacked."

The sudden change somewhat surprised Kanda. He didn't expect Allen to talk about that, or to talk as if it had been her fault that they were attacked. Hell, he had thought that she had left for a while, as he had been intent on packing. His hand stayed frozen where it was, reaching for his exorcist coat.

"And....I didn't intend for you to find out that way. I....I was going to tell you! I really was.... But...then..._that_ happened."

"Kanda...I'm sor-"

"Che. You're an idiot. Just shut up already." Allen looked up to see Kanda facing her, an indifferent expression on his face. He slowly approached her, that indifferent expression turning into a glare.

"Rather than wasting my time, why don't you take your story elsewhere. I don't give a shit about you apologies, and I don't give a shit about _you_." Kanda said venomously. Allen stared at him, her light grey eyes wide. As Kanda glared into her innocent eyes, he could almost see something inside her shatter, as though they were a portal to her inner workings. Tears sprang to those eyes, and she covered her mouth. She tried to say something, but all that came out was a weak and broken squeak.

In the next moment, she was gone, gone from his eyesight, from his room. He could hear her running steps leading away from him as he shut the door. His knuckles turned white in his grasp of the door handle, making the metal creak quietly. Kanda's eyes were shut tight in denial of what he had just done.

How much of a fool was he?

* * *

**Still, I am not sure if this is the correct wording, as I do not know very much Japanese.

Yay! A new chapter! I think I am about as excited as you are! Although....you probably want more, huh? ((I bet what you really want is to smack Kanda upside the head....I would.^_^))

I'll get the next one out as soon as I can. It's Thanksgiving break for the next week, so I am free to do whatever.

Except~~...I do have a little bit of homework. Nothing big, and it shouldn't interfere.

Review! 3

-Maze Puppet


	24. The Nightmare

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I am sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Chapter Twenty Four: The Nightmare

* * *

Lavi was on his way to the library when he saw Allen running towards him. The white-haired girl was not paying attention to where she was running, and so didn't see Lavi.

"Allen?! Allen!" Lavi yelled, catching the younger girl's attention. She looked up at him, heart break clear in her grey eyes.

"Lavi!" she sobbed, running into his arms. Lavi knew immediately what had happened, maybe not in detail, but it was obvious to him.

"Come here..." Lavi said, steering Allen to the closest place, which was, coincidentally, the library. Allen clutched Lavi's arm, biting back her sobs, but unable to prevent tears from sliding down her cheeks. They walked past a few finders and the Bookman, who looked up in surprise when he heard a strangled sob come from Allen. He looked momentarily confused, but then gave Lavi a look of warning that said, "You're getting too attached, fool." Lavi rolled his eyes and continued, not caring in the least. He led the crying girl to an excluded part of the library and tried to release her to sit down on a chair. Instead, Allen slid off of Lavi's arm to collapse on the floor, silent sobs wracking her body.

"La-lavi..." Allen cried, hunching over and digging her hand into her chest, as though it was in pain. Indeed, it felt like she was in great pain, emotional and physical. She had never thought..._ever_...that he would do that to her. It hurt so much...

Warm, comforting arms wrapped around her as Lavi knelt beside her. He gently smoothed her hair, whispering softly in her hair, "It's okay, Allen. It will be okay..."

Allen hugged him tightly, holding onto him for dear life. Tears kept falling and she bit her lip to hold back her sorrowful cries.

"I...I don't understa-and, Lavi." she cried, clutching at her chest as she curled into a ball on the floor, sobbing brokenly.

* * *

The next morning, even before most of the Dark Order members were even awake, Kanda was gone and Allen was left in Lavi's arms, sleeping, and yet still crying. Lavi had stayed awake all night, holding Allen close and stroking her hair and back comfortingly. Lenalee had stayed with Allen and Lavi for a few hours during the night, holding Allen's hand tenderly and reassuring Allen that she would be okay. Lenalee could not stay long, though, because she had duties to fulfill for her crazy brother. She promised to be back with breakfast in the morning, though. Allen hadn't said much since she and Lavi had arrived in the library, but she did wave weakly at Lenalee and bid her a good night as she left.

Allen had fallen asleep not long after four thirty in the morning, leaving Lavi awake and the white-haired girl sleeping with her head in Lavi's lap. Lavi didn't mind staying awake; in fact, his mind was trained to stay awake for days without rest, which made it easy. As it was, he had been awake for two days straight, and he was still going strong. A little coffee couldn't hurt though, he thought, glancing at the clock.

It was close to eight thirty in the morning, which meant that Lenalee would be arriving soon. With food and coffee....Ahhh...Sweet coffee.

* * *

Allen found herself in a corridor of the Dark Order, standing in the middle of it with shifting shadows all around her. She tried to look around, but found that she was paralyzed, unable to move, unable to look away from the distant end of the corridor. She was all alone, unless one would count the dark, shifting, watching shadows. Allen tried not to.

Footsteps echoed from down the corridor she was facing. Someone approached her, their form hidden by the darkness, though she knew it was there. It wore a dark cloak, with the hood up, hiding its face from the world. It did not stop, but just walked straight to Allen.

She tried to speak to it, to call out to it, but her voice, just as her body, would not respond. The cloaked figure was beginning to scare her, thought she didn't know why. Like...they were going to do something to her. Or just something bad. She didn't want them to do what they were going to do, that was all she knew. She was scared, terrified even, but not for herself. This person....What were they going to do?

The person was directly in front of her and showed no signs of stopping. They were going to walk right into her!

Allen tried to close her eyes, but nothing happened. The person walked ever-closer until- everything changed. She was now facing a new direction, and her body was walking very calmly, against her will. Her arm- not her arm, for her left arm was disfigured- pulled something out of her cloak. It was a long-bladed dagger, almost a short sword. She- though it wasn't her- looked at the dagger for a long moment, before Allen felt her face –not her's!- distort into a cruel grin.

No! This wasn't Allen! She wasn't herself! This...this body! It was not her!! Whoever it was....She had to stop them! But, what could she do? She was paralyzed and fearful, struggling against the invisible bonds that held her tight.

Something wasn't right. The person...was walking faster now, movements filled with intent. Malicious intent. Allen stopped struggling briefly to pay attention to what was going on. Now, they were approaching a platform with a waist-high pedestal on it. Someone was bound and being held to the pedestal.

The dagger-! Allen now knew what this was. What was going on. This person was an executioner. And the victim was right before her. The knife came up, though Allen fought with all her strength to stop it.

This was wrong! Everything was wrong!

Allen noticed, for the first time, that there was a crowd formed around the platform. A crowd of people....that she knew. Some looked outraged, whether at the executioner or the victim, Allen didn't know. Others were crying, denying the senseless murder, but unable to do anything, much like Allen.

The executioner grabbed the victims face and lifted it for all to see. Allen gasped.

No!! It could not be!! Why-?

Why was he-?

The dagger rose even higher-

Allen fought with all her strength-

The dagger arched down-

The man made no sound as the wickedly shining blade pierced his skin and drove into his heart.

Allen screamed.

"_Kanda!!!_"

* * *

Lavi jumped at Allen's cry, surprising both him and Lenalee, who had just arrived with breakfast.

"Allen!" they cried in unison, Lavi grabbing Allen and pulling her up, Lenalee dropping the tray on a table and kneeling quickly at their side.

"K...Kanda..." she cried softly, clutching at Lavi's shirt tightly. She stared at the wall with blank eyes, tears falling from them, down her cheeks, to drip on her sleeve.

It took Allen almost ten minutes to calm down. When she was calm, she looked plaintively at Lavi.

"He is okay...isn't he? I mean, he is going to be okay?" she asked. Lavi smiled fondly at her, and hugged her close.

"I am sure he is fine, Allen. Kanda is strong...He will be fine."

"I...I am glad...to hear that.. I love him, Lavi...And I need him...so much. Even if he can never be mine....I still need him."

"I know, Allen-chan. I know..."

* * *

It's kinda short, I know. But...I did my best. I hope this satisfies you until next time. It is hard to write a lot of sad stuff...Review, please,^_^ and I might consider writing faster to post the next one.

((Do you still wanna hurt Kanda?....Poor Moyashi-pon...T.T))

-Maze Puppet


	25. Determination

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Chapter Twenty Five: Determination

* * *

Indeed, Kanda had to wonder just what was wrong with him. With his mind.

Currently, he was sitting in a private compartment of a newer model of a train, styled after the trains in use on the East Coast of the Americas, mainly places like Philadelphia and New York in the United States. Kanda sniffed, remembering the first time he had ever been to the Americas. The foolish Americans were materialistic and obsessed with superfluous things, every bit as bad now as the Europeans that they had tried to escape almost two hundred years before. Not to mention destructive, if every account of the American Indian massacres were true.

His mind traveled to someone else who was destructive and foolish, and felt his heart clench in pain. From the moment he had closed his door on the Moyashi, he had regretted, with every ounce of his being, the words that had come out of his mouth uncontrollably. He had still been so angry at Lavi when the Moyashi had come to speak to him, that he hadn't thought about what he would say. But, how long had it been since could he really think properly around Allen Walker?

During the three days that he had been gone on his mission, Kanda had deeply hated his wayward tongue so much so that he had refused to talk except when absolutely necessary. This only lasted a short while, long enough to make an impact on the swordsman's mind. It had given him time to think about the situation between him and Allen, and just how foolish it would be to beat himself up and hate himself for it. The only thing he really needed to do was get back to his Moyashi and find a way to apologize, while still maintaining what little pride he had left.

It had occurred to him in the early morning of the second day, after getting up from a very restless sleep, waking up in yet another cold sweat, just what Lavi might have meant when he said, "When you come back....Don't expect everything to be the same." Kanda didn't like the hidden or obvious meanings in that statement. If Lavi was planning to take Allen from Kanda, he was sorely mistaken. In fact, that thought alone made Kanda want to strangle the eccentric red-head.

"Baka Usagi....She's _mine_." Kanda growled under his breath, his fist clenching protectively.

The last few sun rays of the day shone into Kanda's window, lighting up his features briefly before the train curved away. Trees flashed past the window, and though Kanda stared out at the sights, his mind was far from the scenery of Eastern Sweden.

Though he had reconciled with himself, he still felt a million times the fool for his cruel words. It was his nature, if nothing else, to be bitingly sarcastic and hateful. At least on the surface, but his....love, he supposed, for the younger girl should have surpassed that.

Kanda sighed harshly and sat back in his seat, closing his eyes in frustration. There was no point in living in the past, no matter how much of a fool he could be and had been. First and foremost, he had to figure out a way to get the Moyashi back and apologize, while still acting like himself.

Given the situation, and just the kind of person that Allen Walker was, the only choice was for Kanda to be himself, and nothing more. If she cared for him for who he was, providing that she still _did_ care, then she would understand....hopefully.

* * *

Allen looked plaintively at Lavi, who in turn was watching Allen with determination.

"I won't do it, Lavi," the girl said finally. Lavi only arched an eyebrow, making no other movement. Allen squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, but did not crumble. Lavi's expression became more persuasive, if that was possible.

"Allen~~~!" Lavi pouted, giving up on the tough approach. Allen sighed, shaking her head stubbornly.

"I don't want to! Really, it's fine! You can, but...."

"Come on! The nurse said that it would be fine! She said that your healing progress is going as well as could be expected...." the red-head trailed off, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Allen-" he started, but was interrupted by the third occupant of the room.

"Allen, you can't keep yourself locked up in here forever! Sooner or later, you are going to be called out on a mission, and you will have to leave! Don't worry so much about...._that_." Lenalee said, stamping her foot on the stone floor. Allen looked guilty.

"You make it sound like I'm hiding from him..." she sighed. The looks the she received showed that the other two weren't fooled.

"Allen, you haven't left this room since Kanda left! You have barely even got up from that bed!"

"That's not true! I went to Komui's office at one point!" Allen argued, but knowing that other two were right.

"Come on, Allen-chan! You need to get out of here! We aren't even going that far! A couple of hours to get to London, a few hours shopping and going to cafes; what will it hurt??" Lenalee demanded, stamping her foot once again. Allen sighed, but finally nodded.

"Okay then! Let's go get you dressed, showered and re-bandaged, and then we will be on our way!" Lavi said happily.

"Get to your room and we will meet you at the underground entrance in an hour. Hurry, hurry!" Allen nodded and got out of her bed for the first time in a few days (other than for the obvious necessities). She left the room, smiling weakly, but somehow gratefully, at Lavi and Lenalee.

They watched after her even after she disappeared from their view.

"Does she....Hmmm..."

"Does she what?" Lavi asked, looking at Lenalee. The Chinese girl shrugged, pursing her lips.

"Does she seem tired? Even more than her wounds should warrant?" Lenalee asked, her expression full of worry and concern. Lavi patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"I noticed too...Maybe....this trip will help her." Lavi said, nudging the shorter girl gently.

"Now, come on, let's go tell your brother that we are actually leaving. He will be pleased to learn that we won Allen-chan over."

* * *

Kanda stepped out of the boat, looking up at the aged stones of the underground entrance of his home. He had spent all night traveling, and, though he was obscenely tired, he had something to do and would not go to sleep until he had completed it.

_Moyashi..._he thought, taking a deep, steadying breath. He finally looked around the platform to see two people waiting patiently, facing the stairs. The bright red hair was a tell-tale sign and Kanda immediately glared.

The Baka Usagi had better not done anything-!

Said Baka Usagi stiffened when he felt the cold glare aimed at him back and slowly turned around, thinking of only one of two people who could send such a chill down his spine.

"Yuu-chan!!!" he cried happily. The person standing next to Lavi turned as well.

"Welcome home, Kanda." she said, smiling. Kanda did not cease his glare, but swiftly passed both of them and headed up the stairs with quick steps. He could feel the stares of the other two as he walked away, but said nothing. He had one thing on mind and Lavi's comment would have to wait.

Some small part of Kanda's brain told him to go to Allen's room as oppose to the Medical Wing, where Allen had been since she had returned from the disastrous last mission.

His heart was pounding fiercely in his chest, the only sign that betrayed his cool façade.

Moyashi....._Moyashi_!! his heart cried, making his strides faster.

He finally turned the last corner, almost at a run, Kanda felt his heart stutter, almost stop, and then regain it's fierce beating.

There she was.

"Moyashi..." he whispered under his breath, relief washing through his body. Allen had just closed her door and turned to face him when she stopped as well. Her emotions were splayed across her face openly; first relief, then hope, hesitance, and finally pain, all in the blink of an eye.

"K-Kanda..." she said softly, swallowing nervously. She stared at him, trying desperately to get past that emotionless mask. Finally, Allen saw some spark of warmth hidden in the vast depths of Kanda's dark, exotic eyes. It was just a spark, but it greatly relieved the younger girl.

After what felt like forever, Kanda moved towards her, his stride, at first reluctant and broken, but then it gained confidence.

"Moyashi..." he said again, loud enough for her to hear.

"That isn't my name." Allen responded automatically, though it was obvious her heart wasn't into it. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she watched him approach. A small part of her wanted to run, just run away before that cruel tongue of his could lash out at her heart, but Allen Walker was stronger than that. Yes, much stronger....

* * *

Well, I know that this wasn't as long as it should be...I'm sorry.

But...there is your new chapter. I wish I could have had more chapters out through Thanksgiving Break, but....Late Monday through Wednesday my computer was out, Thursday was Thanksgiving, and Friday(yesterday) I went with a BIG group of my friends to go see the movie Twilight...((Which was KICK-ASS!!! I wanna see it again!))

Also, for a while, it was hard for me to write this, as I am currently re-reading Hana-Kimi, at least, up to volume 14 (since that is the last volume I have been able to buy). I kept thinking as such:

Allen = Mizuki

Kanda = Sano

It was very confusing.

Now...On to business:

Okay, if you are reading this, I have an offer for you. You see, I have two endings for this story...Which, yes, it is ending. Very soon.

So...there are one of two ways to go. One we shall call the "_**special ending**_", which is probably what you are all hoping for. And the other, is not as special. It is the same premise, but a _lot_ less.....interesting for you.

For the **_special ending_**, I would like...Hmmm...To be reasonable, _**25**_ reviews, for **_this chapter_** alone. I was going to go for a higher number, as I know that a _lot_ more than 25 people read this, but I will be fair.

**A hint: To acquire that number, if you are reading this _right now_, you should just click that little review button down there.*nods* Right _now_.**

For the less interesting ending, my normal reviewers can review, ((I **_love_** you guys, by the way^_^ You were my inspiration to keep writing this.)) but the rest of you can just go about your _merry_ way.

In any case, I leave it up to you. I won't, however, take pity if you get within one review of the goal, in fact, I will just post the _**boring ending**_, and you'll have to deal.

Another incentive, though, is if you reach that goal and go past it, I might consider an **_epilogue_**.^_^ ((Which I think you will like.))

Just remember. If you aren't contemplating reviewing **_RIGHT NOW_**....Then this story will end. The boring way. And then there will be no epilogue. It will just. **End**.

_((And I REALLY, REALLY hope you **ALL** review..*nods*))_

With much love,

Maze Puppet. ((Sorry about the super-long A/N...'Tis necessary.))


	26. The End

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! You get the Special Ending. I must warn you though...It is rather...._Intense_. Kinda lemony...Sorry for those of you who don't like that...But it seems to be the best ending, in my opinion, to the story. _Implied_ sex. No actual stuff...I don't do that. WAY to awkward for me.^_^ I hope that this is the ending you wanted. Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty Six: The End

* * *

"I have a name, Kanda, and you know it. And if you can't remember it, I'll pound it into your head." Allen said, tilting her chin up proudly. This surprised Kanda quite a bit, as he was expecting a more...well, _girlish_ reaction.

"And if you thing that for one second, that I am just going to take any apology or whatever you might offer, you are sadly mistaken." Though her words were harsh, Kanda could see that she was somewhat relieved that he was there. Or...That's what he hoped he saw.

"Che. As if I would apologize to you." he responded, a smart-ass smirk on his beautiful face. Allen nearly smiled at him, but instead took a step closer to the Japanese man.

"Kanda....I have something to give you." she said, hands behind her back.

"Oh really."

"Yes, I do." Allen moved her right arm from behind her back, pulled it back to gain power, and then punched Kanda in the face.

"You stupid, pompous, irritating asshole!!" she yelled, glaring at him. Kanda was frozen in shock, half facing away from her, touching the side of his face with his finger tips.

"You think that you can just come back here and act like you _didn't_ treat me like shit?! Like you _didn't_ tell me that I was a _waste of time_?! Are you really _that_ retarded, BaKanda?!" Allen growled, fists clenched angrily.

Kanda stood up calmly, then looked at her, his expression unreadable. Allen felt her heart clench painfully and feared that she had spoken too harshly. That was the same look that he gave her last time they spoke. And, just like before, he walked right up to her, expression remaining the same.

Only, this time, he reached his hand up, the same that had been touching his bruised cheek, and slipped it up against Allen's neck. He pulled her close and touched the tips of his fingers, from his other hand, to her jaw. Allen stared up at him in surprise just before-

His lips brushed gently against hers once, teasing her. He pushed her back several steps, smiling wickedly against her lips.

Kanda had backed her into a corner, Allen noted, his dark eyes shining as he pulled away. A few steps more and Allen had her back against the wall, her eyes very confused. Kanda laid his hand on the wall near her head, lowering his head towards her once more.

"Kanda?" Allen asked, sounding much calmer than the situation called for, as if the man she truly loved hadn't just _kissed_ her, even though _she_ had just punched _him_. As if her heart wasn't running a marathon in her chest.

"Moyashi." Kanda responded, his Japanese accent growing thick, sending shivers down Allen's spine. She blinked in surprise at the odd tone in Kanda's deep voice. Was he trying to sound....seductive? If so, it was working a wonder, Allen noted as she fought off her desire for the older man. Kanda leaned closer to Allen's face, so close that Allen, on a previously unknown instinct, lowered her eyelids until they were nearly closed, her mouth parting only in the slightest, clearly expectant.

"Join me for dinner..." the dark-haired swordsman whispered, his breath ghosting over Allen's lips, causing another tremor to travel down her spine. Kanda's left hand gently took hold of Allen's hand, which he brought to his lips to deliver a tender kiss to her knuckles. Allen swore she felt a tiny trace of tongue, but it was too brief for her to have been sure.

"Wha-? Where?" Allen asked, her pulse racing.

"Come to my room in three hours, Moyashi." Kanda said, his normal tone taking over his voice as he began walking away. Allen dead-panned, her surprise evident. Kanda felt the urge to chuckle at the confused girl, but refrained. He had an image to uphold, after all.

The poor girl had to lean on the wall to keep from falling. She lightly held her hand with the other, staring at the retreating swordsman until he disappeared.

* * *

"_What??!_" Lenalee asked a bit louder than was necessary. She stared at Allen in surprise- well, it might be better classified as openly gaping in surprise. Lavi was staring at Allen in surprise too, but then burst out laughing.

"What is your problem, Lavi?" Allen asked, her cheeks flushed. Initially, she had only meant to tell them that Kanda had asked her to meet him somewhere to talk, but...The Grand Master of Finding Things Out, AKA Lavi, had seen right through the attempted calm expression on Allen's face and demanded to know what really happened. Allen had immediately broken out into a blush, quite out of her control, long before she had even managed to think of a response, probably in the negative.

"He...wants to have dinner w-with you?" Lavi asked, trying to hold back his laughs. Allen flushed a brilliant red.

"Shut up, Lavi!"

"So, does this mean I don't have to go shopping with you guys?"

"_No!!_" came the immediate refusal by both older exorcists. Allen sighed in defeat.

"In fact, this is even more of a reason to go shopping! You need something to wear!" Lenalee insisted, dragging Allen off to the boat that was waiting for them.

"Come on Allen! To London!" Lavi grinned at the defeated girl. This would be fun!

* * *

Allen swallowed and knocked on the door before her with great hesitance. The "shopping" trip had taken only half an hour, as Lenalee knew exactly where to go. Allen had been wary, but she trusted Lenalee. However...Allen was sure of one thing:

The world had gone crazy. Completely, utterly _insane_. Surely, soon the world would just end from all the impossibilities that were going on.

She had been on a _shopping trip_.

In the midst of a _war_.

To have _dinner_ with the most anti-social, angry, murderous exorcist, (not including the clearly psychotic General Winters Sokalo) in the entire Order.

The world was utterly insane.

But, as for the door she was facing right now, Allen knew that this was the most insane impossibility of them all. There was no doubt that she wanted to do this, but it was just so....Weird, having Kanda acting as gentlemanly as he was. She would never have thought, in a million years, that Kanda would behave in such a manner.

Perhaps....Perhaps it was because of Kanda's Japanese up-bringing? Had he been taught to act this way with women?(Not that Allen really considered herself to be a woman, she was only fifteen, going on sixteen.) Kanda certainly held some chivalrous thoughts in that head of his, along with the biting sarcasm, death threats, and violently explosive temper.

All of these thoughts occurred quickly, since it was only a few seconds after she had knocked that the door opened.

"Finally. You certainly took long eno-" Kanda's tongue defied him in his shock. The moyashi...she...had...she was wearing.... Kanda could not find words as he surveyed the girl before him. The..young woman.

Allen wore her exorcist coat, but underneath was a slim-fitting red dress. It held her gentle curves like a tender lover, ending slightly above the knees at a crooked cut, slanting down to cover one knee before coming back up to hug the back of her legs. Kanda swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry as his sharp eyes traveled up. The dress was held up by one strap; a tempting invitation in it's own will.

Allen shifted nervously under Kanda's gaze, reminding Kanda that the poor girl was still standing in the open, in front of his door, wearing a seductive little number, and -holy hell!- high heels, visible for all to see, were someone to walk by.

Kanda moved out of the way, letting Allen in. Finding his voice, he murmured shyly, "That's quite a dress."

"Oh... Thank you. I w-wasn't sure how I should dress....But-! If you don't like it-"

"-I like it just fine, Moyashi." Again with that husky accent! Allen was sure that there would be permanent damage to her knees if this kept up. Kanda relieved Allen of her exorcist coat with a quick flick of his wrist and sent it flying to a corner. Allen stiffened at the sudden gust of air from her coat's disappearance. Her arms and back -the dress was missing a significant piece at the back, showing her soft, pale skin- were suddenly exposed to the air, which was less than warm, but not quite freezing.

"So what is for dinner-" Allen was cut off with a gasp as Kanda's calloused hand made contact with her arm, tracing a line up from her upper arm to her shoulder, then her spine, down to her lower back and up again. Allen's skin prickled at the pleasant sensation as Kanda stepped closer, pulling her back by her waist, pressing her against his chest. One arm lay wrapped comfortably around her waist, a casual thumb stroking the skin through the dress. The left hand reached up to Allen's neck, the index finger tracing another invisible line from her collar bone, up the column of her neck, to her jaw.

"The menu tonight, Moyashi," he said softly, passionate and accented voice filling her ear pleasantly, "Is you." He turned her head to the left and pressed his lips against hers.

Allen almost melted in his hold, only able to maintain her ground when Kanda had kissed her. Everything in her body was crying with delight as she kissed him in return.

Kanda parted his lips and pressed a questing tongue forward, licking Allen's lower lip, asking oh-so politely, like the gentleman he was being, for entrance. Allen gladly permitted, opening her mouth to begin a game of chase between them, lips connected still.

Kanda instinctively tightened his grip with his right arm, drawing Allen closer against him. Said right arm traveled up, faltering just below Allen's chest, squeezing her ribs gently.

When finally they broke the kiss, it was only a few moments before Kanda released Allen long enough to spin her around in his arms and claim her again in his embrace. Kanda, while still holding Allen with his right arm, used his left hand to tilt Allen's head back, exposing her throat. He bent his head to capture a spot on her neck with his lips. He began licking, nibbling, sucking, kissing and biting at Allen's neck, earning a satisfied, and yet needy, moan from Allen with each touch. Kanda could feel the vibrations in her throat with each sound, which excited him all the more. Kanda's pants were beginning to feel especially tight, and he knew that soon his control would break.

Regardless of that knowledge, Kanda lowered his head towards the single strap on Allen's red dress. He took that strap into his mouth and pulled it slowly off her shoulder, a low growl sounding in his throat as he pressed her closer, wrapping his other arm around her as he leaned her back further so that she was nearly horizontal to the ground. His mouth moved to Allen's upper chest, not too far from her soft breasts. Allen whimpered softly, feeling Kanda's inexplicably talented tongue working wonders. She gasped as she felt her dress slipping slowly down her body, now that nothing held it up, except, of course, Kanda's own body.

"K-Kanda!" she gasped, moaning as he moved the top of the dress further south, exposing more of her skin.

"Yes, Moyashi?" Kanda questioned, looking up briefly.

"Wh-what about-" she moaned again, interrupting herself, as Kanda slid his tongue along Allen's sensitive skin.

"What about what?"

"Dinner," Allen said breathlessly, not even trying to form a full sentence anymore.

"As I explained, Moyashi," the nickname, when whispered like that, added to the heat that was quickly building into an inferno, causing Allen to shiver once more, "You are the menu tonight. And I intend to order everything-" he bit down on her skin briefly, making Allen arch her back, pressing further into Kanda, "-as I desire."

Allen swallowed and nodded dumbly, immersing herself in the feeling that she got from the sexy Japanese man.

Kanda let Allen's dress slip to the ground silently, completely exposing Allen to the air.

A sudden loud voice sounded outside the door, though a good few feet away.

"You did lock the door....right?" Allen asked breathlessly, reminding herself of a certain red-head that was prone to entering -without knocking- people's rooms. Kanda stiffened. Apparently, he hadn't.

"Yuuuuu-chaaaaan!!" Lavi yelled at the door, sounding pitiful. In the blink of an eye, Kanda had released Allen and had made his way to the door in a few swift strides. The door opened, but Kanda slapped a hand on it, stopping it immediately before it was opened any further.

"What, baka?" Kanda snapped. Lavi blinked. Kanda's face was flushed, his eyes sparkling oddly. Lavi's expertly trained eye traveled down and upon seeing the state of the swordsman's...sword, grinned like a perverted old man.

"You enjoying your own company, Yuu-chan?" Lavi teased, his lazy gaze looking up. Kanda glared, and released his hold on the door in favor of grabbing Lavi's shirt threateningly. Lavi ignored this and slowly pushed open the door with his hand. He blinked in surprise at the sight before him.

* * *

While Kanda had gone to the door to keep Lavi from opening all the way, Allen had moved quickly and pulled her dress back up, slipping the strap onto her shoulder, wiping briefly at the small trails of saliva on her chest and neck. Lavi had a sharp eye, and there was no need to incite his curiosity anymore than what the Bookman would have to ponder over. She turned her attention to what was being said at the door.

"What, baka?" Kanda demanded, his normal, angry tone in place. A few moments of silence before Lavi replied in a sly voice.

"You enjoying your own company, Yuu-chan?" Allen flushed at that tone, knowing what Lavi was referring to. Allen watched Kanda's hand disappear behind the door with an almost unseen movement. The door slowly opened to reveal Lavi, who was being held by Kanda. Lavi stared at Allen for a moment before a slow, somewhat sleazy grin took over his face.

"Hello, Allen-chan," he said slowly, his green eye gleaming in perversion.

"Hello, Lavi." Allen replied, embarrassed. Kanda growled at Lavi.

"If you are done, baka, then leave." he snarled angrily at the red-head.

"Actually, I'm not. I need to talk to Allen about something. But, after seeing how much you two are...enjoying each other...I will have to wait until morning." Lavi said, lightly swatting away Kanda's hand. Just before he turned to leave, he remarked quietly to Kanda, just above a whisper, "Be gently with her, Kanda, I'm sure it's her first time." With that said, Lavi neatly dodged a punch from Kanda and skipped away down the hallway, humming joyously to himself. Kanda growled and slammed the door shut, locking it with a furious twist of his hand. Allen watched Kanda stand at the door, his fists clenching and unclenching in anger.

"Kanda..." Allen whispered softly, laying her hand on his arm. Kanda opened his eyes and looked down at her, but didn't move. She stepped in between Kanda and the door, wrapping her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to kiss him sensually on the lips. Kanda pressed back, moving slowly, savoring the taste of those soft, pink, feminine lips. Kanda picked Allen up carefully and took her to his bed, laying her down on the blankets. He slowly pulled her dress off for the second time, placing a kiss on each patch of skin that was exposed. Allen writhed under his touch, emitting soft moans and gasping, erratic breaths. Her pleasured noises set his heart racing again, making the previously tight pants even more skin-loving.

Allen noticed Kanda's wince and the large bulge in his pants, making her even hotter under the (non-existent, as she was fully naked again) collar. Being the compassionate person that Allen was, she only wanted to help Kanda out. She reached for his pants, hooking her fingers in his belt loops and pulling him closer, before unbuttoning and unzipping those tight black pants. Re-attaching her fingers to the belt loops, she began pulling the pants down, leaving only Kanda's (also black) boxers. She looked up at Kanda, who had stepped out of his pants and had kicked them to the side. Allen got on her knees on the bed and wrapped her arms around Kanda's waist, pressing her naked chest against his lower stomach. Kanda idly stroked Allen's soft white hair as he pushed her back down onto the bed, straddling her in the process.

Allen undid the buttons on his shirt, slowly revealing his stomach and chest. His skin was pale, seeming as though it had never seen one ray of sunlight in its existence. Allen ran her hands up from the border of those boxers, her soft fingers leaving a burning trail as she reached to his wonderfully sculpted abs, then his toned chest, to finally rest on his shoulder, pushing his shirt off. Allen kissed his chest softly as her hands worked to rid Kanda of his shirt. She pressed her lips against his collar bone briefly before nipping at the skin, inciting a growl from Kanda. With a surprisingly steady voice, while trailing circles on the skin of the unbelievably sexy man above her, Allen asked, "Why did you ask me here, tonight, Kanda? It was my last, accurate knowledge that you hated me." Kanda left a dark, very much visible mark on Allen's neck, where it would be obvious to all, before he answered.

"Certain...insights...allowed me to see what I did not see before." Boy, was that a vague answer! Allen sighed softly, knowing that that was the most detailed response she was going to get for now, or possibly ever.

"Aren't you just the philosophic one?" Allen murmured softly, giggling. Kanda growled and silenced Allen with a passionate kiss, one that, if Allen had been standing, she probably would have collapsed due to weakened knee syndrome. Also, due to Kanda's ministrations and his dexterous, talented hands, Allen found that she could not form an intelligent sentence to save her life for the rest of the night.

* * *

**Author twitches....multiple times** Oh my god.. I can't believe I just wrote that.

* * *

Lavi and Komui sat in wait for the moment when the noises of pleasure would cease for at least ten minutes, but much to their dismay and surprise, they did not. No the two exorcists, who had proclaimed with all of their beings that they hated the other, were at it for hours..and hours. Lavi's lewd grin had faded some time after one A.M. to be replaced by a look of sheer horror. Komui had been able to keep Lavi from running into the room, probably screaming, "What are you doing to poor Allen-chan??!! Let her go you sex-fiend!!!" As it was, Lavi had needed to be bound and gagged, but he had nearly escaped three times in the process.

Komui had called in reinforcements to drag Lavi away to Komui's office, while he lay in wait for the perfect moment to strike. He had only been "hidden" in the shadows for ten minutes, Allen's cries of surprise and pleasure sounding across the hallway, along with Kanda's groans and gasps, when Lenalee, ear-plugs shoved in her innocent ears, marched up to Komui, seething, and drug him back to his office. Once there, Komui was also bound and gagged, then placed near Lavi. Lenalee turned on them.

"Do you realize what is going on between Allen-chan and Kanda-kun??" she demanded angrily, hands on hips. Lavi, who had been working on the gag to loosen it, finally got it loose enough and spat it out.

"Of course we do! That's why we were standing outside the door!! We wanted to keep them from being disrupted!" he defended, all signs of previous horror gone now. Lenalee glared at him, silencing him.

"With this??" she hissed, waving a camera in his face. Lavi gasped.

"That's not mine! It's my friend's!! I was holding it for them!! I wasn't gonna use it, honest!!" Lavi stuttered, truly afraid in the face of Lenalee's wrath. Sighing, Lenalee tossed the camera behind her into the messy hell that was Komui's office and pursed her lips in thought. Punishment was necessary at a time like this, but what would be the most effective for the two idiots before her? Several ideas appeared before her as she listened to the sounds of crashing towers of papers and files behind her as a cause of the disruption that throwing the camera created.

"I think that, starting tomorrow, until the time that you finish, you two will clean and organize this office." Expressions of horror and fear were displayed before her in the faces of her brother and colleague.

"You will receive food twice a day, be allowed to bathe once a day, and seven hours of sleep exactly. If you find that you cannot sleep immediately, sleeping pills will be administered." Lenalee finished, sounding coldly professional. Tears fell dramatically from the two men's eyes at the news of their punishment. Komui spat out his own gag, and began to sob beseechingly.

"Lenalee-chan!! How can you do this to me!! I'm your older brother!! Don't do this, ple-" the rest of his sentence was lost in the gag, as it was being shoved back into his mouth.

"Both of you will sleep in here, after you are released from your bonds." Lenalee left after that, going to find someone to stand guard over the office.

* * *

Allen slowly awoke to the feeling to arms wrapped around her naked torso, fingers softly massaging her skin. A blanket was over her, but not one bit of it touched her, as Kanda's limbs completely encompassed her. The body next to her was radiating with heat and she could feel the heart beat through his chest. Small contented breaths fell on the back of her neck and she felt Kanda's forehead resting on the back of her own head. She realized that Kanda was still asleep, the only things belying that fact were the fingers that were softly, gently digging into her skin.

'It must be a...subconscious thing?' she thought, bringing her hand up to meet Kanda's, entwining her fingers with his. His grip with the other arm instinctively tightened. He pulled her closer, making a contented sound close to a growl in his throat. Allen blushed, squeezing Kanda's hand tenderly, lovingly. Kanda moaned softly, clearly waking up.

"Moyashi?" he murmured quietly, only half-awake.

"Good morning, BaKanda." Allen replied, turning around in his grasp to face him. Kanda growled and it seemed to Allen to be a denial of the morning's existence. He buried his face in Allen's hair, seeming content to continue to sleep throughout the day. Indeed, Allen was tempted as well, but she had a mission that she had to leave for at one o'clock that afternoon. Not knowing the time as it was, Allen was a little worried.

"Kanda...Kanda....I need to get up. I have a mission today." she said softly. It would be hard to leave the bed with Kanda's arms wrapped around her, and his legs entwined with hers, never mind the fact that she was closer to the wall than the edge of the bed. Kanda growled yet again and would not budge. After a while of Allen's struggling, which included trying to entice Kanda to let her go with some intriguing promises, Kanda finally let her go, hoisting her up over him and onto the side of the bed, where she could get off and go about getting dressed. Meanwhile, Kanda shifted in the bed until he was comfortable, and began watching Allen.

When Allen looked at the clock, she panicked. It was seven minutes past noon, only allowing her less than an hour to rush back to her room, take a shower, pack, go get her breakfast, eat it, and then head to the train station. What was worse, she could not find the dress she arrived in, one of her high-heeled shoes was missing as well, and Kanda was watching her move around the room in just his shirt, which, while long, barely covered her butt, and only three buttons had been fastened. Hissing with displeasure, Allen checked once more under the bed, only to be grabbed and pulled up by Kanda. He encircled her thin waist with his strong arms, nibbling on her shoulder briefly.

"Stop freaking out, Moyashi." he sneered in his typical tone, "Take a shower here, find that little dress of yours, and I will go get you breakfast. You can meet me at your room." His voice allowed no argument as he pushed Allen in the direction of the private bathroom in his room, not without accidentally (or was it?) feeling up her chest. Allen had noticed his gesture on her chest, and on her way to the bathroom, muttered darkly, "Baka hentai," in Kanda's own language. Kanda's scowl lightened briefly, and an almost devious light shone in his dark eyes, but only briefly before he got up to get dressed.

* * *

Hehehehe...Kanda's a pervert. Are you enjoying this so far?

* * *

Allen stumbled tiredly into her room, having arrived at the Dark Order nearing one o'clock in the morning. She was dead on her feet, eyes fighting to remain open long enough to fall into her bed. Only, when she reached to flick on the lights in her room, she found that it would be hard to make it to her bed with a pair of strong arms holding her waist as her hand rested on the switch.

"Ehh? Who's that?" Allen slurred tiredly. A deep chuckle resounded next to her ear, and the vibrations from the chest pressed against her back sent shivers down her spine.

"Kanda?" the white-haired exorcist said slowly, a happy note in her exhausted voice.

"Yes, Moyashi?" the Japanese man responded, holding tight to Allen.

"Mmmm….It's good to be home…" she said softly before her body went limp with sleep. Kanda sighed, and then chuckled helplessly. He gently lifted Allen into his arms and made his way to the bed.

He would never admit it, but he had missed the Moyashi while she was away on her mission. She had been gone almost a week and a half, and the first four days were okay for him, but it got progressively worse. On the fourth night since she had left, he began having dreams of her. And though they were just normal dreams, seeing her in his dreams, but never hearing her voice, never feeling her touch, was like slow torture to Kanda. By the sixth day, Kanda found himself training for four hours without stop, just to keep himself from thinking about the white-haired girl that he was so enchanted by.

By the ninth day, he found himself making trips to Allen's room late at night for ten minutes or so before going back to his own room. And just the previous night, he had fallen asleep in Allen's room, on her bed. It was awkward, even if only he knew about it, and rather embarrassing. Even if he hadn't heard through the "grape vine" of the Dark Order that Allen was returning that day, though the time was not known, Kanda would still have been in the Moyashi's room, curled around the lukewarm blankets, filling his nose with the fading scent of Allen Walker.

Kanda set her down under the blankets and curled against her warm, soft body after removing her heavy exorcist coat and her shoes. He was already prepared to sleep, his white long-sleeved shirt partially unbuttoned, revealing the edges of the curse-tattoo on his chest. He had been ready to sleep almost an hour ago, but had had trouble falling asleep. Something had kept him from a restful sleep, and he was not disappointed in the least for it.

He wrapped the small girl in his arms, entwining his warm legs with her slightly cold ones. Kanda buried his nose in her neck, soft strands of hair tickling his forehead and cheeks. In this comfortable position, Kanda pressed his lips lightly against the Moyashi's skin and finally felt as though he could relax and fall into a deep, contented sleep.

* * *

THE END!!! O.O

((_Geez_, Kanda!! You closet slut!!))

Hope you enjoyed this, and don't forget to review. I want to know what you think about the ending. Was it good enough?

Since I received a few more reviews than 25, (YAY!!!), I will be posting the epilogue in a few days. And then that will be the last of Nightmare. It will be a little bit short in comparison to this, I mean...Holy cow...This is a LONG chapter...^_^ But...It is for you guys.^_^

Thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed, regardless of how many times. I love you all and I hope to see some of you on my next story. Or...one-shot....Which ever comes first.

For those of you who have been with the story since the beginning....you guys kept me going, kept me writing, looking forward to seeing the number of hits go up. As well as looking forward to hear your treasured reviews...You guys have some of the funniest reactions...I love them.^_^

Sayonara,

Maze Puppet


	27. Epilogue

Nightmare

Attention/Disclaimer: D. Gray Man does not belong to me, nor do its characters, buildings, etc. ((I would rather enjoy owning Kanda, though, as I am sure many other fans would... *winks*)) Also, any events, names, or places named/written in the future that are markedly similar to anyone else's work, I'm sorry for any coincidence, but all of this is purely from my imagination. I do not copy people's work. EVER.

Thank you everyone who asked for the epilogue.^_^

Thank you everyone who ever reviewed. ((You guys kick ass!))

Thank you everyone who kept me going when I lost faith in my ability to write.

Enjoy.

* * *

Epilogue

Allen slipped into the Science Section, keeping a look out for any scientists, psychotic Komurins, or anything else. She had private business with Komui, and didn't want any one to listen in. Luckily, the eccentric Supervisor never slept, so it wouldn't be hard to find him at night.

Indeed, the man was in his office, doing paperwork without complaint. Allen pushed the door open and softly spoke.

"Komui?"

"Ahh..huh? Allen? What are you doing this late at night? Did you come to turn in your mission report?" Komui asked, laying aside an ink pen. He picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, awaiting Allen's response.

"Yes, I did, but I have something to talk to you about, Komui." Allen said, walking into the scientist's office.

"But first the mission report."

"Yes, of course." Komui said, reaching out to grab the folder from Allen's hand.

Allen told of her mission, the lack of finding any Innocence, being ambushed by thirty level one Akuma lead by a level three.

"I think that it was a false trail, Komui, most likely thought up by the Noah or the Earl to distract us." Allen admitted quietly, not liking how the statement sounded.

"That could mean that they have found something of importance and they don't want us to figure it out." Komui reasoned, scratching his chin in thought, his forehead creased in a frown. After a moment, he focused on Allen again.

"Now...what else was it that you wanted to say, Allen?" he asked, suddenly fully attentive, making Allen fidget uncomfortably.

"Komui...I think that something.....may be wrong with my Innocence..."


End file.
